Remember when I wrote this: If only we had known.? It was about how I wished we had known more about skin cancer. How we could have, maybe, saved my mom. And how I wished we had checked into things sooner. It was about a lot of other "what ifs".
I have always loved the sun. But I have learned to love sunscreen. My kids have never had a sunburn (granted, they are brown-ish by nature but I am now religious about sunscreen!) and they fear sunburns in the same way they fear smoking. The sun can kill. They have seen it happen. My mom died of melanoma.
My daughter with my mom less than 1 year before she died of melanoma - skin cancer.
So, after this post I got a lot of comments and emails. Many swore to stop basking in the sun. Many swore to look into their suspicious moles. I can't say I know exactly what happened to the many but I am absolutely thrilled that at least one of them came back to tell me I made an impact. This is her comment:
Jen
My sincere thanks -- again. I just got back from the doctor. The suspicious mole is cancer. Basal cell carcinoma.
Although I had the mole removed a couple of weeks ago, I'll be going to a dermatologist (hopefully ASAP) to get more tissue in that area (my shoulder) removed.
And also I will be getting the rest of my fair, freckled, sun damaged skin checked with follow-up.
So thanks. If I hadn't read your stories, I would not have gone and I'm really, really glad I did.
Sometimes people tease me and make fun of blogging. They poo-poo it as shallow and the writers as untrained and the art as low-brow. Well, "whatever" I say. Look at what I did. Look at the difference I made. Look at what blogs can do!
What about you? Have you ever been moved or taken action because of a blog post?
Wow, thanks for sharing the story - hope you are ok!
That's so terrific, Jen!! It's all about impact... even if only for one person - that's AMAZING!!
This is very inspiring - thanks for sharing, Jen!
That's awesome Jen! I know that I've taken a ton of support from other women who have blogged about their post partum fights. I had a comment from one woman who said that she sought treatment after reading my list of symptoms - it was the BEST comment ever and made me want to continue on. Good for you Jen!
That's the main reason I continue to blog about our life. I have had so many comments, emails and facebook messages either about autism or hemangioma's that make everything I "put out there" so worthwhile.
I've painted a pair of angel wings on you, Jen. ox