In 1995 I went with my mom to purchase a UV shirt for our trip to Australia. I had never heard of UV protective clothing before but my mom, who grew up in Australia and has a history of Skin Cancer in her family was adamant about owning some. In my teens at the time I decided right away that I would not be a trailblazer when it came to wearing UV clothing. At $80 for a shirt that looked like my grandfather’s gardening shirt, the item was neither affordable nor stylish. I would rather take my chances on the sun than on the potential ridicule from myfriends. .
After all how bad could the sun be?……
The answer to that question became all to clear in April 2003. I received a call that my Aunt, and one of the most important people in the world to me, had been diagnosed with Stage 4 Malignant Melanoma. I didn’t know what that meant but it didn’t sound good, and trust me it wasn’t. The prognosis was grim. A couple of months at most. How could this be? What seemed like a healthy active lifestyle in the beautiful outdoors could turn out to be hugely detrimental for her.
We all watched helplessly from the sidelinesas she endured one treatment after the other. Battling courageously. For most, the battle alone would be all-consuming, but as is her nature while fighting her own battle she somehow found the energy and time to give back to others facing her same struggle; she created the Save Your Skin Foundation. She has committed herself completely to this foundation. To the extent that within hours of one of her major surgeries I walked into the hospital room to find her on her laptop finalizing one of her community events. It is that kind of commitment and determination that has inspired me to tackle my goal of creating this website and introducing as many people as possible to the benefits of UV protective clothing.
I am ecstatic to say that my aunt, and inspiration, is still passionately running her foundation and is now disease free. I would invite you to visit her foundation website www.saveyourskin.ca and learn a little bit more about my Aunt Kathy’s journey and the active involvement the foundation has in the continual fight against skin cancer.
Through adversity there is always the opportunity to learn and grow. I have seen first-hand the damaging affects of the sun and know now that there is no excuse for poor Sun Safety. I have two small boys of my own and just as I would teach them to be safe when crossing the street or to always buckle up in the car, I will teach them to be Sun Safe. I will make it part of their daily routine and mine. It takes time but I am pleased to say that at 2 1/2 years old my son already grabs his own sun hat before going outside… and of course his Spiderman sunglasses!!! Please take time to look through our site: there is something in here for everyone. The styles have come a long way since 1995 as have the prices. We want you to enjoy all the things the outdoors has to offer; and hopefully we can help you do it SENSIBLY and in STYLE.
