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Tatiana’s personal story


Tatiana Thomas
I want to tell my story after I saw the "stop tanning" public service announcement on TV. I do not want somebody to make the same mistake I did.

I believe I developed melanoma after going to a tanning salon. Previously, I never went to the beach and never tanned. However, I wanted to try something different. My coworker gave me coupons for free tanning sessions, and I used them. I was there just eight times. My skin was slightly tanned and I liked it.

After a while, I realized that one of the moles under my breast started growing. It changed colors three times from dark brown to dark violet, and black. I am not a doctor, but I understood that something was wrong.

I told about my concerns to my husband and we went to our family doctor's office. He took a biopsy, and the result was melanoma. The news about skin cancer hit me hard. Despite this news, I was lucky, because in two weeks I got surgery and did not need any other treatments.

I want to tell young people especially to be careful with tanning and always wear sunscreen. Take care and be healthy!

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