“I was the kind of person who tanned easily and never burned"

14-month-old son, Micah.

“Sunburns in young children raise the risk for skin cancer later in life,” she says.

"I was in the sun constantly when I was younger,” says Melissa Kratz, R.N. Now she knows better. Kratz, a clinical nurse specialist who coordinates skin cancer screenings at Lehigh Valley Hospital, had skin cancer herself at age 29.

Although there was no family history of the disease, Kratz went to her doctor regularly for skin checks. In 2000, she noticed a mole that was larg e r, slightly irregular and varying in color (three warning signs of cancer). Lab tests revealed melanoma, the least common but most dangerous skin cancer.

Kratz’s cancer was removed surgically, and fortunately it had not spread to her lymph nodes. Caught early, melanoma usually is curable. But she’s not sunning anymore without precautions. “I wear a hat, avoid the times of greatest sun intensity (10 a.m.-3 p.m.), and always use sunblock with SPF 30 or more,” she says.

Kratz urges everyone to watch for changes in moles. “Have a family member check the areas you can’t see, such as your back and the back of your legs,” she says. “Report any suspicious changes to your doctor.”

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