How has your diagnosis impacted friends/family/social interactions?

[MaddieHU]

Today we'd like to hear how melanoma has impacted your social life?

Has there been an impact on your Partners? Parents? Children? Friends? Or other extended family members?

[Meloney SYSF Ambassador]

There was a huge impact on my relationships. How could there not be? I like to think I was open and accepting of all the support around me, but truly I cocooned. I just needed the world to stop and let me get better and then it could start up again. I distanced myself from people thinking that might make it easier to say goodbye if that day ever came. I was so wrong. That is the time I needed to be surrounded by everyone who loved me so that their strength could lift me up and help me get better. It took a long time before I opened up to that. I still feel that I don't get as close to people as I used to. I'm much more cautious about who I allow inside my circle. I think that's probably a left over side effect of the whole process.

[Bobger SYSF Ambassador]

Of course all of my friends and family expressed great concern (especially at the beginning), but as time progressed and we learned more and we were able to alleviate their fears, things came back something close to normal. I like to think that perhaps many of them have gained some understanding of what melanoma is from what we went through, but unfortunately we know that some have not. We are lucky I suppose, we haven't lost any friends over this, we have only gained new ones.

[canada123]

My melanoma diagnosis had both a positive and negative impact on my social life. In its own way it brought my husband and I closer. It showed us how strong we were as a team and how he was my rock. We chose not to tell most anyone until we had a plan of action which was difficult but what we wanted. I do feel this decision may have not been what our family and would have liked (they probably wanted to know right away) but only one person, a friend l, seemed hurt that she was told after the fact.

I have figured not out yet how to tell my two young daughters (they just know that something bad was growing in one of mommy’s freckles so that had to get rid of it) and I am dealing with being looked at the crazy sunscreen and hat mom. I know it will be a conversation that I will have to have one day- when they are ready.

My diagnosis, and now ability to talk to about it to everyone and anyone has lead to friends and family members doing monthly skin checks and being more deiligent about sun screen. It has also lead two friends to see dermatologists regarding spots they “have always wondered about.” In one of these cases, a friend also received melanoma diagnosis- in the very early stages.