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Testimonials
It's difficult to put into words the challenges and life adjustments melanoma has brought into my life.
Before melanoma, my life was absolutely flawless. I was 21 years old, on the brink of graduating from college and was diagnosed with melanoma in the final week of my junior year at the University of Kansas. It broke my heart. I thought I was invincible, yet recognized the deadliness of the disease.
I've grown up in sports, so by instinct nature, I knew I would fight the disease and over come the pain. There is a chronic pain though, of outsmarting the sun! Finally companies are creating fashionable sun protective clothing and natural sunless tanners. It's taken me over three years to become comfortable being fair skinned. As a young woman survivor of melanoma I now look at this as a blessing. I have realized that I have gorgeous fair skin and that I am on pace for an extraordinary life.
Now, my life AND my skin are flawless! I am now happy to say that "Fair skin is in!"
My biggest challenge was creating new, modified versions of my favorite outdoor activities…. Here are just a few:
I am almost never outside between 10:00 to 4:00
I have a hat collection to match every outfit
I check the weather every morning to see what proper clothing I will need for sun protection
I ride on the shaded side of the car on road trips
Wear long sleeve 50+ SPF clothing at the lake
Garden just as the sun rises and sets
Play tennis and softball at night under the lights
Ski more instead of vacationing at the beach
Tinted my jeep windows for extra protection
Use tinted face sun block to avoid white streaky residue on my face
Wear sunless tanner in the summer to get safe color
Always wear sunglasses to protect my eyes from melanoma
Sit under umbrellas when dining outside
- Brooke Christine Budke
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