I Thought I Was Too Good For Sunscreen. Then I Was Diagnosed With Melanoma.

I’ve lived in the midwest all my life. By the time summer comes each year, and the weather finally gets warm enough to go outside without layers upon layers, I’m SO ready to soak in the sun.

I was born and raised on a farm, and was outside constantly. I’ve always tanned easily, and loved the challenge of trying to get as tan as possible. When I was in high school, I worked as a lifeguard. I rarely wore sunscreen even though I was teaching swimming lessons and lifeguarding 10 – 12 hours a day.

I’d see other people put sunscreen on, but frankly I thought most of the time it was lame. I didn’t need sunscreen.

I went to college in Minnesota, and come winter I’d go to the tanning bed to warm up and get a little color. I hated how I looked when I got to be pasty white!

After college Jake and I enjoyed a few years of kid-free married life. We took so many vacations when I never applied a DROP of sunscreen.

When I started having kids, I started to think about sunscreen. I made sure to apply it on them when they were out in the sun, but still didn’t bother to put it on myself. In fact, if I got it on my hands, I might even wash it off.

During each of my pregnancies, I developed more and more moles. I’ve always been a moley person, but pregnancy gave me 20 times MORE! I had a few that I was worried about, so in June I went for a mole check. The dermatologist gave me a full body scan, and none of the mole I was worried about were concerning to him. The only thing he was concerned about was a tiny mole on my foot. I NEVER would have gone in to the dermatologist to get it checked. It was so little and not raised at all.

He removed it to be biopsied, and a few days later I got a call. It was him calling and not one of his nurses, so I knew it was probably serious. Sure enough, he told me the mole came back with a diagnosis of melanoma. Thankfully, it was still in the early stages, so they did a surgery on my foot to take out a large chunk of skin, and after a couple weeks, I was back to normal.

It all happened so fast, that it almost seemed like it didn’t happen at all. But it’s wild to think about what could have happened had they not caught it early. He said once melanoma gets into the bloodstream, there’s pretty much nothing they can do. He has several melanoma patients who he monitors regularly for a few months or years, knowing that there isn’t a cure, and that it will only be a matter of time until they stop coming to see him.

I’m 30 years old. I have so much life ahead of me. I have four beautiful kids. I have a wonderful husband. I have a career that I love. It’s crazy to think just how much I could have missed out on. I’ve always been insecure about my moles, but now I’m grateful because if I hadn’t gotten all the bigger moles, I would have probably waited a while to go in for a check. Within the next months and years, I’ll be getting several more moles removed as a precautionary step. He said we’ll remove ANYTHING that’s questionable.

I thought I was too good for sunscreen. That all changed the day I was diagnosed with melanoma. This summer has looked very different than most. I don’t leave the house without sunscreen. I’m white as white can be, and I’m okay with it!

My sweet sister-in-law, Madison, made this really easy for me. The minute she heard about everything she sent me a bottle of her amazing sunscreen and tinted moisturizer with SPF 20. She’s a Beautycounter consultant, and ever since this scare I’ve become much more open-eared to everything she’s got in her back pocket. All her products are natural and beautiful and I’ve loved every one I’ve tried so far.

This week, I asked if she’d open up an online party for all of you. I’d like to give away the Beautycounter products I earn from this social back to you. I don’t care about making money or getting free stuff. I really just want YOU to have quality products, and truthfully, my sister-in-law does an amazing job taking care of her clients. She’ll be able to help you find exactly what you need.

If you think you’re too good for sunscreen, you aren’t. At the very least get yourself some of this Dew Skin moisturizer so you can put it on in the morning and not have to worry when you step outside. Did you know you should be wearing sunscreen EVEN when you walk to your mailbox and back? Yep. I learned that one from my dermatologist. While you’re shopping, grab some sunscreen. It isn’t greasy, which means even my husband will wear it. 🙂

Our party will only be open for a few days (through July 23rd) because I want you to get your products ASAP! You can check out all the awesome products here: Mommy’s Me Time Online Beautycounter Social.

Let’s take care of our skin. It’s just as important as every other part of our bodies!

xo,

Amber

P.S. For more reflections on parenthood and life, follow us on Facebook (Hun Let’s Run) and on Instagram: @ambermariekuiper and @jakekuiper! We’d also love for you to subscribe to our Hun, Let’s Run Podcast! For more info about joining our fitness community as a customer or coach, please email us at amber@mommysmetime.com!