June is National Safety Month. National Safety Month was established in 1996 by the National Safety Council to increase awareness of safety and health risks and to decrease the number of unintentional injuries and deaths in the United States. 

Each year, safety topics are chosen to generate discussion and raise awareness. Sun safety, however, is a topic that doesn’t get a lot of attention in the workplace. Whether your workstation is an office or the great outdoors, practicing good sun safety, along with skin cancer awareness and prevention, can save your life or that of a family member, friend, or co-worker.

This reality hit home for me on April 5, 2021, when I underwent my first surgical procedure to remove a blackish-blue spot that had mysteriously appeared on my left shin. I suspected that I would simply have the spot removed and all would be well after a few days of recovery.

Unfortunately, this was not the case. The procedure was more invasive than I expected and turned out to be the first of a series of operations my leg would endure.

The pathology report after the first surgery came back within days. It diagnosed the blackish-blue spot on my shin as “superficial spreading malignant melanoma,” the most dangerous and deadly type of skin cancer. At the time of the report, it was classified as Stage III/IV. The cancer had penetrated deeply into my skin, and I was at risk for it invading my lymph nodes and metastasizing to internal organs. Therefore, I needed a second surgery right away to remove more of my shin and undergo a lymph node biopsy to see if the melanoma had spread.

To say I was shocked at the diagnosis is an understatement. In a matter of days, I went from being a healthy woman with plans and aspirations to becoming a terrified patient of the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Unsure of what the future would hold, I became acutely aware of the years I spent outdoors without sunscreen and all the quick trips to the local tanning salon.

Since April, I have spent numerous hours at Huntsman undergoing tests, scans and surgeries. I have had consultations with oncologists and plastic surgeons and have gotten to know my nurses and caregivers very well. Each member of the Huntsman team has cared for me (and my husband) in the most compassionate of ways. I will forever be grateful for their kindness. 

Today, I am happy to report that my cancer was recently re-classified as Stage I, meaning it did not spread to the lymphatic system. Although I will be undergoing more testing and I am scheduled for a third (and final, we hope!) surgery to repair the extensive damage done to my leg, I am blessed in that the prognosis is very good. We caught it early.

Last month, the nation celebrated Skin Cancer Awareness and this month, we celebrate Safety Awareness. Please take time to incorporate sun safety and skin cancer awareness and prevention into your workplace safety activities. Simple steps such as wearing sunscreen, knowing your risk factors and regularly examining your skin could save a life. It literally saved mine.

For more information on Skin Cancer Awareness and Prevention, please visit: https://www.skincancer.org.