10,000 Reasons to Celebrate

At the end of September 2018, SkinCancer.net got its 10,000th ‘like’ for our Facebook page (here’s looking at you, Michael H!).

Our community

I admit I had been keeping an eye on the count once I saw it was getting closer and closer to 10,000, and I was so excited the night I saw it hit that mark. Yes, there may be other pages with many more members, but this is our page. This is our place where we can share our stories, ask questions, and support each other as we or our loved ones go through battles with skin cancer.  We’ve grown this community together.

The beginning

You may think it seems a little silly that I am so excited about this milestone, but I can’t help myself. In April 2017, I received a message via Facebook from a staff member at Health Union asking if I would be interested in talking with them. After doing some quick research to see if they were a legitimate company (they definitely are!), I responded.

A phone call was scheduled, but prior to that phone call, I did more in-depth research on the company and I loved what I was finding. Here’s a snippet of what I found:  “At Health Union, we inspire people to live better with specific health conditions...we build real relationships with people... Our goal is to help people with challenging health conditions live better lives.”

Even better than expected

I then had a phone conversation with that staff member and found out even more of what Health Union is all about. I learned they were in the process of launching a platform relating to skin cancer, and I was asked if I would be interested in writing and/or moderating for SkinCancer.net. It was an easy choice for me to say yes to their request. I had no idea, though, that it would be even better than I was expecting. I didn’t know at that time how awesome our community members were going to be.

A growing community

In June 2017, SkinCancer.net launched. I’ve watched it grow from a small, startup community to an amazing community where members genuinely care for each other. As an author and moderator for SkinCancer.net, I’ve interacted with many of you. I’ve read your stories, I’ve answered your questions, I’ve given you encouragement, I’ve prayed for you, I’ve thought about you and your upcoming procedures. But I’ve also learned from you.

I’ve been encouraged by you. I’ve felt yourcompassion and understanding. I like being part of this community. I like knowing there is a group of people (now over 10,000!) who ‘get’ what it’s like to have skin cancer. I’m proud of our community, and I’m thankful for all of you. I hope we never stop growing, learning, and sharing, together.