Skin Cancer Awareness Month – Protect the skin you’re in!

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and for a few years, it’s been a cause that has been close to my heart, and ironically it’s relevant to BFSO. Below is my story.

I met Tricia Elaine Black, affectionately known as Teb, in elementary school. I remember her possessing this beautiful spirit, even at age 8, that you just couldn’t help but love. She had a quiet confidence that I secretly admired. She was ALWAYS smiling and she had an innate gift to always get you to see the brighter side of things. After elementary school we both went to different middle schools, so we lost touch; however, we met again in our high school drama class.

I realized that Tricia had not changed one bit. She was still a compassionate, beautiful, sweet, but strong young woman AND she still wore that contagious smile. One day, in drama class, we had an assignment to deliver a touching, dramatic, original monologue. I decided to do mine based on the recent loss of a neighborhood friend. The entire class was in tears, including Tricia. But it was what happened afterwards that was deeply touching and classic Tricia. She came over to me, gave me a big ole’ hug and said, “If you ever need someone to listen or a shoulder to cry on, I’m here for you.” I hope she knew the impact that she had on me.

After high school, we lost touch once again, but we also found each other once again. Actually, I was looking for her because I wanted to tell her how the way she lived her life stuck with me over all these years. To my surprise, I found her on the internet. Below is what I found:

Teb’s Troops is a not-for-profit organization started after Tricia E. Black, or “teb” as she was known by her friends and family, was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic melanoma. At the time of her diagnosis, teb was 29 years old and living in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband, Michael, and 9-month-old son, Sam. Wanting to rally her “troops” during her war with cancer and desiring to make something positive come from the negative, teb asked her friends to help her design and sell a bracelet, the profits of which would go to organizations that support the treatment, prevention, and research of cancer, including melanoma. We are now asking you to enlist as one of her troops by purchasing a Teb’s Troops bracelet to show your support the fight against cancer.

My mouth hit the floor and my heart immediately followed. Why? “Why do bad things always happen to good people,” I asked. After that, I sprung into action because that what she would do. I called one of the founders of Teb’s Troops to see what I could do to help. She said they were planning an event to raise money for cancer research and I could help by raising awareness. That I could do. As a Senior Manager of a full-service marketing agency, I convinced the partners to take this client on pro bono. Eventually, I got FOX 59 interested in Teb’s story. The day of the interview I finally got to see Tricia again. When I walked through her door, I was speechless and literally paralyzed with shock because she didn’t look like the same Tricia. The energetic and strong woman that I had known all of these years just didn’t look the same. She could barely walk and appeared very weak and frail. I wanted to hug her, but I didn’t want to hurt her. I wanted to say how sorry I was, but I knew that she wasn’t pitying herself. So, I just didn’t know what to do. I left that day with tears in my eyes, asking myself the very question I had posed months before, Why her??

Sadly, Tricia Elaine Black lost her battle to skin cancer on July 11, 2006, a little over a year after she was diagnosed. She left behind a loving husband, whom she referred to as the love of her life and beautiful son, whom she called the light of her life. Although it pains me to know that I never got a chance to tell Tricia about the positive effect that she had on my life, I am so grateful to have known such a wonderful person, and I will continue to spread the word about skin cancer in her honor.

BFSO readers, please protect the skin you’re in. Below are some tips that just might save your life.

1. Protect yourself with sunscreen and hats – they dramatically lower your chance for skin cancer.
2. Be sun smart – don’t just bake in the sun for the sake of it.
3. Avoid tanning beds as they increase your chances of skin cancer by 75%!!!
4. If you see some changes in your skin, get to your doctor immediately. Early detection can mean saving your life.

For more information on skin cancer or to support the cause and Teb’s Troops, please click here.