In January of 2004 my life was turned upside down when I was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma at the age of 20. Since I was 17 I had been visiting tanning booths in an effort to hide my pale complexion and erase all indication of my Irish heritage, so I could “look like everyone else.” Over 6 years later I have come to realize that looking and acting like everyone else is far from what I want to do.

My battle with cancer was one that defined the person I am today and from firsthand experience I know what it’s like to struggle with self esteem issues and embarrassment over scarring. My surgery is one that resulted in over 70 stitches, a large disfigurement on my stomach and scars under both arms where 8 lymph nodes needed to be removed to ensure the cancer had not spread inside my body.

As a result of my experience I want to change how people view scarring and increase awareness about skin cancer. My mission is to educate and inform young men and women about the dangers of sun exposure and to raise awareness in general about this ever increasing problem.

Meghan Rothschild