I hope everyone is enjoying a safe and happy summer.  This summer take advantage of your local museums and libraries to perhaps learn something new and to avoid those peak UV hours between 10am and 2pm.  If you are in the Boston area join in some bowling fun at King’s in Back Bay and Dedham.  Get you coupon for some free bowling here.  We can’t spend our entire summer indoors though, so make sure you follow the SunWise sun safety guidlines:

• Cover up
• Use sunscreen appropriately
• Seek shade
• Limit your time in the sun
• Don’t forget those hats and sunglasses too!

Have a great summer!

May 2010

As May is Melanoma Awareness Month, I have asked one of my friends to share her story on this blog.  My wish would be that not one more person ever has to be told they have Melanoma.  Remember as you are reading this, that skin cancer is almost always preventable and treatable if diagnosed early.  Please get your skin checked and protect your children from harmful UV rays between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm.  Here is my fellow baseball-wife friend, Alison Mahay’s  story.…

My cousin Landa was 35 years old when she lost her  battle with Melanoma.
Landa was petite, beautiful and very much into fashion. She was married to Chris for eleven years and together were raising three wonderful children – Isabella 11, Sofia 7 and Christopher 2. Landa had it all. Chris was an incredible loving husband. They both loved to cook and entertain family and friends and enjoyed traveling as well. Their children were their greatest accomplishment. Landa always had a mole above her lip since I can remember. After Isabella was born her mom told her she didn’t like the way it looked so she went to her dermatologist and sure enough it turned out to be Melanoma. She immediately had the mole removed and some cosmetic surgery followed. She had follow-up visits and the doctor seemed to think he had gotten all the cancer. Little did we all know that this insidious disease stayed and was lurking in her body.
Eight years later in August 2008, Landa was not feeling well so a visit to her doctor was truly a shock when he told her she must see a surgeon. Her Melanoma had spread to her liver, her kidney’s and her brain.  From that day on she lived in pain each and every day. Her parents moved into her home to help and so she began her journey. She encountered endless treatments. She went back and forth to New York City. And she was in constant pain while never once saying “God, why me?”
Her concern was for her children. She was a fighter all the way. Her belief in God got her through each and every day. Physically, our Landa changed. Unrecognizable in her last months of life, her heart and soul remained as beautiful and passionate as she always was. She lived her last year, like she lived the rest of her life for her children.  As an  early elementary education teacher, Landa loved children, and put her heart and soul into Isabella, Sophia and Christopher.  She would go to every birthday party, and soccer game in her wheel chair with a smile on her face and cheer them on until her final moments.  She wanted to be there for everything she could and never second guessed doing it!
She was also surrounded by the most remarkable family in the entire world!  My Aunt Kathy, her mother moved in with her and took constant care of her, as her husband Chris never missed a doctors appointment and fought just as hard as Landa did to the bitter end.  Landa did really have us all find blessings in each other.
I am not sure what lesson we are to be taught by Landa’s passing. Why a beautiful, intelligent 35 year old mother of three, and loving wife was taken in the prime of her life still shakes me to the core.
I always thought, in a strange way, skin cancer was just an easy cure, a nothing disease that was easily cured.  The most ignorant way a person could ever think!  This vicious disease hit our family so hard; it is something that we will never get over, but something that has made us embrace one another even more than we already have!  We have always been close, but it’s beyond that now!  We are all dedicated to finding a cure for this beastly disease and praying that another family won’t have to suffer the loss of a loved one like our Landa.

Melanoma is the beast that attacks with a vengeance. We need to stop it!

Feb 2010

Spring Training has always been my favorite time of year.
It meant in just a short time we would be packing away
the hats, gloves and winter sweaters.  In no time our
shorts and flip flops would be replaced in our closets.
If you live in a place like Boston or Maryland (where I grew up)
you were sick of winter after Christmas and ready to feel the warmth
of a summer day.  When I was younger it meant visions of summer vacation
and as an adult it reminds me of the beginning of a new baseball season.
We can still have those feelings and be safe at the same time.
Lets start from the beginning by remembering to apply sunblock
to our children and ourselves.  Remember our skin is our biggest
living organ on our body.  It protects everything in our body.
Lets keep our skin safe and get a healthy jump on spring which
is right around the corner.
Shonda

Jan 2010

I know it has been a long time since I have written on this blog.
I did something I never thought I would do.  I wrote a book!
As of yesterday it is complete and ready to go to print.
The book is called “The Best Kind of Different”  My family’s
journey through Aspergers.  Like SHADE this was a very
healing process for me.  My third child has Aspergers.
The release date is March 23rd and you can pre-order it at Amazon.com .

I do hope that during these much colder months
that you take this oppurtunity to really look at your
body for changes in your skin.  This is the best time
to do so.  Our bodies have not been exposed to the sun
too much when it is 20 degrees outside like here in New England.

Wishing everyone a Healthy, Happy 2010.
Stay Shaded,
Shonda

Oct 2009

Hello Everyone,

I spoke at the Glenna Kohl Fund For Hope’s First Annual Angel’s Masquerade Ball on Saturday, October 17th.  This is in memory of my dear friend who recently lost her battle with melanoma.

15 years ago I stood before the FDA waiting for my turn to give my
testimony on a clinical drug trial for ALS.

One by one I heard families plead to have the drug.

They explained what could happen in a human life over the course of
three months, because that was the average increase in life expectancy
of a person taking this clinical drug.

One person in particular who was in her mid thirties explained what
three more months would have meant to her husband:

celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary

watching their son turn 9
seeing their daughter’s first dance recital

and watching their third child start kindergarten

This moment will be etched in my memory forever. How much time three
months really means.

As I stood there shaking and crying, I searched to find the words that
could even come close to the message that this person was giving.

As I walked to the podium carrying my one year old son, I shook and cried
so hard that my husband had to find the words to say to the four stone
faced adults, who sat on the board and with a yay or a nay, approved or
denied a request.

Many of you probably don’t know how I came to know Glenna.  When Red Sox
nation was so excited about our coming to the Boston one person reached
out to me to say “Welcome, I love what you are doing, I too am a melanoma
survivor.”

The email friendship began.  Over the next three years we kept in touch
on our health, our families, and of course our Red Sox.

I remember the first time I ever met Glenna. It was with her brother and
during a rain delay on what ended up being a very long game.

Glenna was always positive, smiling and never seemed to complain.

She touched my heart for so many reasons.

She was graceful and confident even though you knew her days and months
had to be filled with needing a break.

We would check in with each other time to time and once or twice a year
I would invite her to the game so we could catch up.

I was fortunate to meet mom and dad also.

I introduced her to Kelli Pedroia at one of these games.

Just as I thought Glenna had a way of making you feel good being around
her.

Kelli would always check in to see how Glenna was doing.  Of course
Glenna’s version was always positive and filled with humor.

As Glenna rooted for the Red Sox, the Red Sox rooted for Glenna.

Even though Glenna was sick she worked hard to spread the word about
melanoma and how it could be prevented.  She shared her story only to
make a difference.

She was a good person with a heart of gold.

When Glenna passed it broke all of our hearts.

She was too young and spent too long fighting.

I was shocked when I saw a picture of Glenna with long beautiful blonde
hair.

She was a very beautiful girl.

You see, I had never seen Glenna not sick or with hair.

The confidence that she showed and love of life was all that I could
see.

I would be lying though, if I said I saw her without hair, because Glenna
always wore a Red Sox hat!

If you are wondering why I started telling the story of standing before
the FDA here it is:

I can not tell you anything that you don’t already know about Glenna.

What I can tell you is what I learned after the FDA hearing, that like
ALS or melanoma, not one voice will change the world.  It was the stories
that were told that day; the stories that will be told of Glenna for
years to come.

Glenna in her darkest days still looked to help others.  That is what
she wanted.  Tonight is a perfect example of carrying her legacy on.  Her
passing will bring life to others.

I love the saying:

What we do for ourselves dies with us.  What we do for others lives on!

Glenna’s name will live on through each of us in the stories that we
share about her courage and love of life.  Thank you to each and every one
of you out there tonight for being here.

Thank you to the Kohl family for sharing her with everyone.  We are all
better people for knowing her.

Please let us all have a good time tonight and celebrate Glenna’s life.

Shonda Schilling

The Sun Proof Your Community essay contest has been a huge success.  We are now reviewing the entries and the top twenty will be notified during the first part of August.  The ten finalists will be posted on the Choose Skin Health Facebook page on September 7th for voting.  The five essays with the most votes will win a shade cover for their community.

May 2010

We had over 119,000 views and over 20,000 votes for our 2010 state poster winners.  Our winner this year is from Vermont — Congratulations to Kayla from Elm Hill School in Springfield.

It is almost time for summer break and May is the perfect time to check your cupboard for sunscreen so that first day outside at a ball game, the beach or having a picnic doesn’t catch you unprepared.  Don’t forget to check the expiration date on your sunscreen leftover from last year too.

Over 11,000 students from 38 states sent posters in to the 2010 SunWise with SHADE Poster Contest.  Great job everyone! The state finalists were judged on April 13, 2010 at the Capitol’s Visitor Center in Washington, DC by an impressive group of people including Congressman Dennis Moore from KS, Congressman Spencer Bachus from AL and Congresswoman Donna Christensen from the US Virgin Islands.   Many thanks to our judging committee co-chairs Stephene Moore and Linda Bachus.

Are you receiving our “Preventing Skin Cancer Through Education” newsletter?  Get the latest shade news and helpful facts about sun safety by signing up.  E-mail donna@shadefoundation.org to sign up today!

Registration is now closed for the 2010 SunWise with SHADE Poster Contest.

View the Poster Contest in the news.

Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your kids before they leave for school.  Even though the temps may drop this time of year, the UVA and UVB rays can still burn.  Check the UV Index for your area!

Major league pitcher Curt Schilling and his wife Shonda feel blessed for the life they lead but Shonda learned how quickly it can all change after being diagnosed with stage two, malignant melanoma.

“I didn’t realize that this was serious and that it takes peoples’ lives. So that brought me to my knees,” Shonda told Ivanhoe.

The harsh reality prompted the Schillings to create the Shade Foundation.

“We need people to understand it is a different environment now, our ozone layer is gone and we all really need to respect what Mother Nature is saying to us,” Shonda said.

At 18 Kelly, wife of Red Sox player Dustin Pedroia heard Mother Nature loud and clear. That’s when she discovered melanoma on her leg. She later turned to the Shade Foundation for support.

“Shonda inspires me because she is out there talking to kids telling everyone how dangerous this really is,” Kelly said.

In addition to wearing sun block with UVA and UVB protection the foundation stresses self-body exams. Experts say once a month, do a full body exam. Start with your head, ears and scalp. Make sure to lift your arms and carefully examine your back and legs since they are most prone to skin cancer, and check in between fingers and toes.

“Something as simple as doing and exam on your body may save your life,” Shonda said.

If you would like more information, please contact: http://www.shadefoundation.org

Download original article.

Thomas is a Past District Governor within the Rotary organization.

The conference took place from May 2 through 4 at the Holiday Inn in Boxborough, Massachusetts. As many as 450 Rotarians and guests attended.

On Saturday, May 3, Thomas had the pleasure of recognizing the efforts of Shonda Schilling, wife of Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, in her establishing of The Shade Foundation.

Several years ago, Shonda Schilling was diagnosed with stage-2 melanoma and after a number of invasive surgeries, she enjoys being cancer-free. Shortly after her diagnosis, Shonda established The Shade Foundation for the purpose of raising awareness regarding melanoma, as well as raising funds to aid in research of this disease and ways to combat it.

The Rotary Foundation recognizes the contributions of Rotarians and non-Rotarians, alike, not only for financial contributions, but also for contributions to the betterment of society. District 7910 contributed funds to The Rotary Foundation, in order to recognize Shonda Schilling for her efforts on behalf of humanity in the fight against melanoma.

Thomas had the honor of presenting Shonda with a Paul Harris Fellow Medallion and pin at a dinner in Boxborough that Saturday evening.

“We are delighted that Dr. William Wachsman and his colleagues have been awarded the Nature Publishing Group top clinical research prize for their work using DermTech’s innovative EGIR technology,” said George Schwartz, CEO, DermTech. “We believe that our method for detecting melanoma simply and painlessly will make it many times more likely to be detected in the early stages when it has a much higher probability of being cured.”

The authors of the study suggested donating the financial award to three non-profit melanoma research organizations for their leading-edge work in the early detection of the disease. DermTech agreed, committed to match the amount and is pleased to be able to help support the Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation in Palm Beach, Florida, spearheaded by founder Debbie Schwarzberg, the Charlie Guild Melanoma Foundation in Richmond, California, led by founder Valerie Guild, and the Shade Foundation of America, in Scottsdale, Arizona, founded by Shonda Schilling, the wife of Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling.

The top commended abstract titled: “Differentiation of melanoma from dysplastic nevi in suspicious pigmented skin lesions by non-invasive tape stripping,” demonstrated that DermTech’s proprietary Epidermal Genetic Information Retrieval (EGIR) technology successfully harvested RNA from the stratum corneum (‘skin’) and could identify melanoma based on gene expression profiles. EGIR is a non-invasive nucleic acid retrieval technology that makes use of a custom adhesive film to sample the upper layers of the epidermis. Sample processing results in the reproducible detection of specific biomarkers extracted from the harvested skin cells for use in gene expression analysis. Expression patterns can be used to monitor the effects of actives on the epidermis or to create “molecular profiles” of target diseases.

“This is ground-breaking technology that could mark a clear improvement in the way melanoma is detected and treated,” said Harold Rabinovitz, M.D., Clinical Professor of Dermatology, University of Miami School of Medicine. “Because it is painless, easy to use and offers real hope to people whose melanoma might otherwise go un-attended to, this method is ideally suited to become a routine test performed in the dermatologist’s office.”

William Wachsman, M.D., Ph.D., was the lead author on the study. Dr. Wachsman is Associate Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and head of the Microarray Shared Resource at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. Additional authors and researchers who contributed significantly to the study were: Tissa Hata, M.D., of University of California, San Diego Dermatology Department, Nicholas Schork, Ph.D., Director of Research, Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Sherman Chang, Ph.D., director of Molecular Biology, DermTech, Boris Bastian, M.D., Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco and Harold Rabinovitz, M.D., a dermatologist in Plantation, Florida.

About DermTech:

Headquartered in La Jolla, California, DermTech International (www.dermtech.com) specializes in the development and validation of molecular tests using specimens derived fro m the skin. The company’s proprietary Epidermal Genetic Information Retrieval (EGIR) technology is being studied in the context of tracking treatment efficacy for a variety of dermatologic and other conditions, including the effects of drugs on skin at the molecular level in advance of observable clinical results, and aiding in the diagnosis of disease. DermTech International is actively pursuing research using EGIR and its applications toward molecular diagnostics and theranostics in the areas of melanoma, prostate cancer and various skin disorder s, such as psoriasis.

Contacts:

DermTech
George Schwartz
CEO
858.450.4222
gschwartz@dermtech.com

For DermTech
Jennifer Larson
415.409.2729
jlarson@labfive.com

Download original article.

Boston, Mass. — On Earth Day, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen Johnson joined Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and SHADE Foundation of America founder Shonda Schilling to recognize Boston as a SunWise Community.

Mayor Menino proclaimed April 22, “SunWise Day” in Boston and pledged to work with SHADE and EPA throughout the year to provide shade, sunscreen, and a quality SunWise education to the city’s youth and families.

“Boston is leading by example, and Mayor Menino’s SunWise City announcement only adds to the city’s green reputation,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “By planting trees and educating the public about the dangers of sun exposure, Boston is showing its commitment to the health of its environment and residents.”

“Being SunWise is important since skin cancer affects everyone, especially in Boston where we have large youth and elderly populations,” said Boston Mayor Menino, a cancer survivor. “That’s why the city has committed to educating our children about protecting themselves from the sun and have begun our plans to plant 100,000 trees by 2020. In addition to providing shade for city residents and visitors alike, these trees will help keep our city cooler during the summer months, reducing air conditioning costs, and absorbing more carbon dioxide.”

“I applaud the Mayor’s efforts,” said Shonda Schilling, founder of the SHADE Foundation of America. “Teaching sun safety to children and their families is crucial because nearly half of all new cancers diagnosed in the United States each year are skin cancers. Skin cancer can be prevented by taking simple precautions like wearing sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses, and seeking shade.”

Since overexposure to UV radiation affects people of all racial and ethnic groups in the form of skin cancer, cataracts and other eye damage, premature aging and wrinkling of the skin, and immune system suppression, Boston’s status as a national leader in work to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health makes the city a perfect fit for a SunWise Community. In 2004, Massachusetts had the 8th highest melanoma incidence rate in the country; 25 percent higher than the national average. This year, the American Cancer Society estimates that 62,480 U.S. men and women will be diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, and 1,810 of these cases are expected to occur in Massachusetts alone.

To help the city promote sun safety, SHADE is donating 100 trees, 10 shade structures and sunscreen, and EPA’s SunWise Program is providing free educational activity kits and training to city educators and community workers.

In addition to the proclamation, the Swingset Mamas were on hand to perform their hit song “Sunscreen Dance,” trees donated by the SHADE Foundation were planted, skin cancer prevention information and sunscreen were distributed, posters submitted to the annual Limit the Sun, Not the Fun national poster contest sponsored by SHADE, EPA and WeatherBug were on display, and fun SunWise activities were held for local children.

SHADE Foundation of America, founded by Shonda Schilling, is dedicated to the eradication of melanoma through the education of children and the community in the prevention and detection of skin cancer and the promotion of sun safety.

SunWise is an environmental and health education program that teaches children and their caregivers how to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun through the use of classroom-, school– and community-based components. Through SunWise Communities, EPA works with state and local governments to incorporate support for sun-safe practices at multiple levels of the community. This year, SunWise is working with the city of Boston, Cobb County, GA and the state of Washington to raise awareness about the need for sun protection in all regions of the country.

More information:

• EPA SunWise Program (epa.gov/sunwise)
• SHADE Foundation: (www.shadefoundation.org)
• City of Boston: (www.cityofboston.gov)