Next Game
@
Jessica – Argos Cheerleader
TORONTO – Cancer is one of those words that no matter what context it is in, is a scary one. It comes in many different forms, and unfortunately touches so many families. My big sister Rachel was diagnosed with skin cancer (Melanoma) roughly 18 years ago, and it was a day my whole family will never forget.
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Related: Pink Game |
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She has fair skin with lots of freckles and has always had sensitive skin. She used to go tanning quite a bit, long before the negative/dangerous affects of tanning were really openly advertised and talked about. She noticed that a few of her freckles had changed colors, and went to a dermatologist to get them checked out. It was an agonizing few weeks for my whole family, and I can’t even imagine the stress my sister was under waiting to hear back from the doctor.
The first few freckles she had removed tested positive for cancer in the top layers of the skin. My heart just sank. My big sister had cancer. I didn’t know much about Melanoma at that time, but I knew it was serious. She immediately stopped tanning, and it was an eye-opener for my whole family on how harmful tanning can be. We’re fortunate that she caught it so early, and that the cancer was not any deeper (the deeper the cancerous cells are in the skin, the stronger the cancer is).
She has gone on a regular basis to get checked since she was first diagnosed and had any spots of concern removed. She has had a 2nd bought with Melanoma in the past 2 years, but she has been so lucky that the cancer hasn’t been in any deeper layers of her skin. Melanoma is something she will have to monitor, and see a doctor every 6 months for the rest of her life to monitor her freckles.
Having cancer has definitely not slowed her down, and she has accomplished so much. She has worked as an extremely talented hair stylist (I owe my beautiful curls all to her), she has gotten married, and had 3 amazing children that have changed my life. I am beyond proud of my big sis; she is one of the most amazing people I know! A fantastic mother/daughter/sister, and a beautiful person inside and out. There is an 11 years age-gap between us (she is my half sister), but she’s been there since the day I was born and one of my biggest supporters.
She may not know it, and even if she does she would never admit it…she is a survivor! She is a fighter! She is my big sister and I love her to the moon and back!