http://www.shadefoundation.org/

The article below appeared in June 2004 ym (Your Magazine)

Too Young To Get Skin Cancer? Think again. When I was only 15 melanoma changed my life forever. by Jacky Sims

Getting used to a three-inch scar isn't easy--even for a homecoming princess. As I walked onstage, I couldn't believe how many people stared at it," Jacky says.

In my hometown of Phoenix, being tan is right up there with having nice clothes and a cool car. And unlike the clothes and the car, it's free. Or so I thought. Even though I wore sunblock, I still had a year-round tan from track, soccer, and swimming.

In fact, I was heading for the pool last June when my mom said, " We have to talk." She sat me down and told me that my doctor had found a malignant melanoma. At first I didn't know what she was talking about---I'd never had real health problems. What did she mean, "my doctor"? Then I remembered the mole I'd had taken off my chest a few weeks earlier. there wasn't a lump or anything big, but somewhere under my skin there was a tumor. Tears began rolling down my cheeks as I said, "So does this mean....?" My mom finished the sentence for me: "You have cancer."

The very next day I had an appointment the Mayo Clinic, a world-famous cancer center. the doctor there decided to remove the tumor right away---he didn't want to give the cancer time to spread to my other organs. the urgency terrified me: Was I going to die? When I got home from the clinic, I must have picked up the phone 10 times to call Matt, my then boy-friend. I wanted to tell him the news , but couldn't say the words. So I decided to text him. I burst into tears as I typed: "I have cancer."

UNDER THE KNIFE

On the drive to the hospital I was wondering why this happened to me. No one in my family had ever had skin cancer. I'd had two moles removed the year before, and neither was cancerous. But thinking about the years of sports in the sun made me sick to my stomach.

By the time we got to the clinic, I was really freaking out. Everything was so white and sterile, and I felt like the doctors were looking at me with a kind or pity. When the anesthesiologist put me under, I was actually relieved.

I woke up a few hours later and glanced down at the huge gash in my chest. for a moment, all I could think about was how terrible the scar would look. Then reality hit and I felt happy to just be alive--- and a little anxious. The surgeons would biopsy my tumor, and I wouldn't know the results for weeks.

I went home after a few day. To cheer me up, five of my best fiends decorated my room and I was showered with cards, flowers, books, and prayers. Knowing that so many people cared about me was comforting, but it didn't stop me from worrying like crazy: there were times when I could feel the cancer inside me, eating away at my body.

Matt took me to a Del Taco for some food, just to get me out of the house. I wasn't totally healed yet---there was a large bandage over my incision---but I still couldn't believe how many people gawked. My 6-year-old neighbor asked innocently what I'd done to myself. I tried to explain that I had skin cancer, but ultimately I simply said I was sick.

Finally, the results of the biopsy came back. The good news was that the melanoma hadn't spread, so I wouldn't need radiation or chemotherapy. Since then, though, I've had five more suspicious cancerous moles removed. That meant surgery and almost daily doctor appointments for a while.

At this point, I'm pretty used to it all. I now have scars on my face neck, chest, stomach, arm and back, form all the procedures. And I go for full-body checks from a doctor every two months.

LIFE GOES ON

These days, I wake up at 5 a.m. twice a week to do track practice before sunrise, to avoid strong afternoon rays. I'm also working with the SHADE Foundation of America to promote skin-cancer awareness. I make sure their We site (www.shadefoundation.org) is teen-friendly, and I'm working with them to develop a teen-outreach program. I'd like to think I'm helping other kids avoid what I went through.

The thing that still gets me angry is the common misconception that skin cancer isn't serious. Sometimes, when people hear my story , they'll say stuff like, "Oh, yeah, I had skin cancer. I had a mole removed right here!" that makes me want to scream. Almost 8,000 people will die from melanoma this year. Your chances of developing it are related to your exposure to the sun. So each time you go into a tanning booth or lie out, try to imagine your mom or dad telling you that you have cancer. I've been there. It's not worth it.

1. How did people view getting a tan where Jacky lived in Phoenix?

2. What did her years of sun exposure from playing, soccer, swimming and running track contribute to?

3. How old was she when she found out the bad news?

4. How did Jacky react to the bad news she got?

5. What do you think it was like for her waiting two weeks to get the biopsy back from the lab?

6. Getting used to a three inch scar wasn't easy for this homecoming princess. Where else does she have scars?

7. What has she done to limit her sun exposure now?

8. How is she helping other kids avoid what she went through?

9. What's the one thing that still gets her angry?

10. What advice about does she have for people that want to go to tanning booths or lie out? (What does she ask you to imagine?)

11. What is one major factor that determines your chances of developing melanoma?