PSA: The Sun Savvy Pledge

Today I read something that reminded me once again how important it is to spread the word about important causes, even if only 1 of the 800 of you who see this page each day take it to heart. 

I often get asked why I have so many scars on my back and arms, especially during the summer.  I also get made fun of for being super pale, but I laugh it off and say that I've embraced my gorgeously translucent skin tone and then mention that I've gotten too close to skin cancer too many times to take chances.  Then the laughing stops, and I show some of the 20+ places where I've had moles removed because I'm highly susceptible to skin cancer. 

My mother had malignant melanoma when I was a child, and thankfully it was caught early and she's now fine.  I've had a very close call, and have a 2 inch scar about the size of a small lemon wedge where the atypical cells began to spread beneath the top layer of my skin when I was 19.  Now, for the rest of my life, I will see a dermatologist every six months for a head to toe skin check.  It's not fun, and especially not fair since I never laid in tanning beds or had especially dark skin.  I hate that tan is considered beautiful, when all it really is is a burn (for most). 

When I saw the new blogging venture headed up by {av} at Long Distance Loving and Danielle from Breakfast at Toast, I was so happy to see two women taking action to change this perception and spread the word about a very important cause.  Please visit Sun Savvy and sign the pledge to take better care of your skin.  It's a lifestyle change, for sure, but you'll be glad you did.