Amanda

With May being Melanoma/Skin Cancer Awareness month ... I did some digging around for different tips, products, and facts that will grab people's attention. It's such a serious thing and more and more young people are being diagnosed with skin cancer than ever before.

The best ways to lower the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer are to avoid long exposure to intense sunlight and practice sun safety. You can still enjoy the sun and being outside, but being safe in the sun is so important and although I sometimes feel preachy talking about skin care, it can literally SAVE YOUR LIFE to put on some sunscreen.

SPAFINDER.com sells these cool bracelets that turn purple in the sun ... as a reminder to lather yourself up with suncreen. I ordered a few for myself and some friends ... and they were nice enough to send us a box full to give away to you! Check out the "I Will Reflect" melanoma awareness bracelet! Did you know it is estimated that more than one million new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year, and an estimated 7,700 of those will be fatal?! We'll give these away on teh show this afternoon ... so you can win one for yourself and a friend! http://www.spafinder.com/melanoma



http://www.spafinder.com/melanoma

Marvel's "The Avengers" kicked some serious tail at the box office this weekend. Since its midnight release on Thursday, the movie has made just over $200 MILLION. That's the best opening weekend for any film EVER. The previous record was set last year by "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2", which made $168.2 million in its first weekend. Yeah, "The Avengers" beat that by more than $30 million.
I've been seeing SO MANY "boy" movies lately and i'm not going to lie, while i'm a sucker for a chick flick, I like these movies. "The Avengers" was awesome ... and it totally helped that we watched "Iron Man" the night before because I felt very prepared for the action and excitement! Boyfriend and I were in NJ dog sitting for his parents while they are away, so we went to see it with his brother's family! Aren't they cute?! I can't even imagine having FOUR boys ... god bless their mom. :) Every time I giggled during the movie, Colin, the one in white, would turn to me and say, "I'm glad you woke up for that funny part." I'm pretty sure he thinks I was sleeping throughout the movie ... but I swear I wasn't! I actually liked it. LADIES, this is the kind of guy movie you can get on board with and EARN yourself a chick flick next time! :)

As many of you know from listening to our show, last summer I was diagnosed with Melanoma. It's a dangerous form of skin cancer that spreads so quickly, it's almost as if you find it "just in time" or it has already begun to spread. The thing about Melanoma is that it appears on your body - which is good for early detection. For me, the Melanoma was in a place that doesn't get sun ... at all. I noticed a mark on my chest that I didn't remember being there before. I took note and carried on with life. Months later, I noticed it looked bigger ... and darker. After showing a friend in panic, she pushed me to show my doctor. I waited ... thinking it was no big deal to wait until my next yearly Gyno appointment. Looking back, I was giving the cancer time to spread ... unknowingly. Finally, I pointed it out to my Gyno, who clearly isn't a dermatologist, but had the right mind to tell me to see one, immediately. I had to wait 2 more months for an appointment at the dermatologist since I wasn't an existing patient. I never had skin problems before, I didn't think I need to go.

I don't want this to come across preachy, but I thought that being May is Skin Cancer/Melanoma Awareness Month, it's the right time to share the story.

I was so scared. The dermatologist immediately removed 3 moles from my body. I only went there to show him one, so I was shocked that he wanted to remove 3. They told me i'd have results in a week or so. Two and a half weeks later I called to ask what was up. The doctor called later that night with bad news. The reason the results were taking so long was because they saw something and wanted more people in pathology to look at it. Of the three moles, the one I questioned on my chest was a Melanoma. One was ok, and the other was a non-melanoma. I was under the impression that skin cancer was something you just remove in the form of a mole and you're good to go. Not so much. If you catch it super early, that can be the case. But in other cases, like mine ... there is reason to believe it may have spread and you need a senitnal node biopsy. They go in and removed lymph nodes ... to see if it spread there, that's the first place it goes. The waiting is the worst part. Waiting to find out if it spread, how bad is it, what kind of treatment do I need. After all that, the doctors say we caught it just in time. Now i'm constantly checking myself ... looking for something new or different. I was out last Thursday having a small procedure and now i'm waiting for those results to come back. Right now it seems like it's never going to end ... but all you can do is take as many precautions as possible to stay safe in the sun. It's your first defense from skin cancer. Sure, if you have a family history of it, your chances of developing it are greater, but it will never hurt to help yourself in the sun.

I'm not a sun worshiper. I don't recall getting a BAD sun burn ever in my life. It happens. The best things to keep in mind is that early detection is key and best cured when found early. The average age to discover skin cancer is age 50. I was 25.

The beautiful weather is on its way and I hope, at the very least, you lather on the sunblock, wear some sunglasses, and throw on a hat. Pale is in. Just ask Twilight lovers. :)

This video is pretty powerful and says it all. If you have a few minutes, check it out. XOXO