#melanoma awareness month
This email is a little different.
It’s not about stunning interiors, tufted rugs, and quirky face vases.
It’s not about how to artfully arrange cushions on a couch - as life changing as that can be!
It’s deeper, more painful, more critically important.
Because March is Melanoma Awareness Month.
At the end of last year, as the world around us slipped into Christmas party mode, one of our own, a Sunday Society Mama, was given the shocking diagnosis of Melanoma, stage 3 cancer.
From one moment to the next her world shattered into tiny little pieces. Hard to grasp, painfully sharp, difficult to reconstruct.
She has a husband and two little girls. She has a life. A full and happy life.
Her story, while shocking, isn’t uncommon. Every year some 16,000 Australian’s are diagnosed with Melanoma. It’s the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in adults. Horrifying, right? It often has no symptoms, however, a change in an existing mole or development of a new spot may be an indicator.
This email is a little different.
It’s not about stunning interiors, tufted rugs, and quirky face vases.
It’s not about how to artfully arrange cushions on a couch - as life changing as that can be!
It’s deeper, more painful, more critically important.
Because March is Melanoma Awareness Month.
At the end of last year, as the world around us slipped into Christmas party mode, one of our own, a Sunday Society Mama, was given the shocking diagnosis of Melanoma, stage 3 cancer.
From one moment to the next her world shattered into tiny little pieces. Hard to grasp, painfully sharp, difficult to reconstruct.
She has a husband and two little girls. She has a life. A full and happy life.
Her story, while shocking, isn’t uncommon. Every year some 16,000 Australian’s are diagnosed with Melanoma. It’s the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in adults. Horrifying, right? It often has no symptoms, however, a change in an existing mole or development of a new spot may be an indicator.
Our much-loved Mama had done all the right things. She’d had her skin checked at skin cancer clinics, multiple times. She’d asked over and over whether that particular mole was ok, and each and every time she was told it was fine. Thank goodness she didn’t just leave it at that. In an appointment with a dermatologist, for a totally different reason, she asked for his opinion. The mole was removed that day, and 24 hours later she received the shocking diagnosis of Melanoma.
Her instinct saved her life.
What followed was heart-in-mouth stuff - surgeries, pet scans, and now, treatment - but, like the incredible woman she is, she’s staring this challenge square in the face and refusing to back down. She’s our very own superstar.
Our beautiful Mama's story is her own and is deeply personal, but what she wants more than anything, is to make sure you know...
- Just because you are young, you are not immune.
- Just because you have olive skin, you are not safe.
- Just because you’ve always worn a hat/have no family history/ love a good rashie, you are not unassailable.
Your risk of Melanoma is increased by exposure to UV rays, including the sun, but can also be genetic in origin, which means you do not know if you are at risk.
So please hear us, loud and clear - get a skin check with a Dermatologist. Be vigilant. Wear sunscreen. Don’t think it can’t happen to you.
Let us play the role of your Mother, and nag just a little, if it means we can save a life (#sorrynotsorry). Because every year nearly 1,400 Australians will die from Melanoma. Just. Like. That.
Think of the life you have yet to lead, the children you love, the job you were hoping to apply for.
Please plan to be here, with us, for a long long time, watching movies with your kids, kicking the ball around the park, laughing with friends.
If you only do one thing today, let it be this - book to have your skin checked. Because you are so very precious.
With love,
The Sunday Society Team xx