Winter 2010 - St. Joseph's Health Care London

46
Vim & Vigour • WINTER 2010
But Barlas was lucky: A follow-up surgery
shortly after showed the cancer had not spread.
More than 20 years later, Barlas remains cancer-free.
She sees her dermatologist once a year
for screenings.
Lessons Learned: Today, Barlas keeps her
skin covered. “I’m pretty cautious. I don’t wear
shorts,” she says. “I’m totally covered up or I’m
not going out.”
And she reminds others to take advantage of
the information available today. “Do not let your
little children go outside without a hat on their
head or their arms and legs covered, especially
if they’re fair-skinned,” she says. “This is something
that can kill you.”
expert advice: Do a self-check of your skin
every few months, Rosen advises, and schedule
an annual check with a dermatologist.
Kendra Stelzer, age 24
FamiLy history: Father had melanoma
LikeLy cuLprit: Overexposure to the sun, tanning
beds
her story: Stelzer wore low-SPF sunscreen to
get a little colour at the lake or pool, and for special
events, she would head to a tanning bed.
Because of her family history of melanoma,
Stelzer’s family doctor recommended she go
to a dermatologist for regular screenings as a
teenager.
When Stelzer was 20, doctors removed a precancerous
mole on her leg. Then, she knew what
to look for.
“You know your body best. That’s what they
told me,” she says. “Because of that, I really paid
attention to what was going on with my skin.”
A year later, in December 2008, she noticed
that a spot on her leg was getting darker. She
immediately went to her dermatologist and got
the news three days later: melanoma. Stelzer
then went to a specialist who surgically removed