Me: The Sequel

During the monthlong gap between summer school and the regular school year, I put a lot of effort into doing very little. In fact, I spent so much time relaxing and streaming movies that I spilled over into the sometimes-questionable realm of movie sequels. I love to read and I enjoy comparing books to screen adaptations. Exploring sequels was the next natural step in the process. And, yes. What they say is absolutely true. Sequels are never better. I find that to be the case with most things…except me. I am definitely better than my original.

Greased-up skin and tanning salons

Truth be told, my original version was painful to watch. There was a lot of self-abuse going on and it lasted for many years. From the time I was around 12 until just before I turned 33, I thoroughly abused my skin. I greased it up and let it fry in the sun every chance I got in my teens. In fact, I can remember spreading a bath towel over my mom’s tri-fold lounge chair (the kind with the adjustable headrest that you can never quite get into the perfect position) as late as September. When I say that I was desperate for a tan, I mean it. If there was sun, I was in it, until the very last minute.

In the original version, I let others think for me. Photos in magazines of tanned and toned bodies, sun-kissed skin on the television screen and endless parades of people with obvious tan lines all around me on summer vacations did a real number on me. When tanning in the sun became impossible due to my college and work schedules, I discovered a new way to ruin myself: tanning salons. My pale skin wasn’t good enough, and I let peer pressure have its way with me. In the fall of 1992, I began a new kind of tanning habit that would last until 2007.

Melanoma diagnosis marked a new beginning

What I consider to be my sequel began in March 2007 with a melanoma diagnosis. Now, sunscreen, shade and shunning tanning salons are my new normal. My decisions regarding my body are shaped by health and safety, not by the media or what those around me consider popular and “in.” I am much more worried about being around for my kids for the long-term than I am about the short-term appearance of my skin. The 1980s and 1990s were difficult to get out of my system, but the ongoing skin cancer issues they left behind have made it a lot easier to move on and never look back. The mistakes that exacerbated my skin cancer struggles shaped me into a stronger, healthier, and wiser version of myself.

Better than the original since skin cancer

Sequels do not typically measure up to the original, but in my case that’s simply not true. My sequel is one well worth watching. In it, you will find reminders to see your dermatologist regularly, tips for finding the best sunscreen, and some pretty open and honest reflections on a life that could have gone very differently.

"