Kate’s personal story

I had this red mark on my forehead and I just thought it was nothing. I was home over Thanksgiving with my family and had no makeup on. My brother, who's a doctor, said, "What is that on your forehead?" And he's examining me like doctors do. He said, "I think you have skin cancer." I said, "I don't have skin cancer."   I went to a dermatologist to find out for sure. They took a biopsy and a week later they called me, and sure enough I had skin cancer.   A week later, my dermatologist performed Mohs surgery to remove the cancer. It was imperative I got it taken care of right away, because the cancer could have spread to my nerves and lymph nodes.  I couldn't believe I had skin cancer. I thought that just happened to people who are much, much older than me. Having my head sliced open and having cancer taken out of my face...I wasn't prepared for it.   Let me be your lesson. Don't wait until you have skin cancer before you say, "Oh I need to protect myself, I'll wear sunblock." Do it now.   I  may not love the scar on my forehead, but it keeps me in check. Every day I look in the mirror, and it's a reminder to put that sunscreen on.