Marcy Sterling I was born in Florida in 1942, the oldest of two girls born to Scandinavian parents. I think my grandmother died when of colon cancer, but I don’t think anyone else in my family had cancer.
0-19 Years I had a wonderful childhood. My sister and I loved the beach and adored being outdoors-Florida was a great place for an active life. We went sailing almost every weekend. And we spent many, many hours playing on the beach and in the water. Even the sunburns we kept getting (our fair skin never tanned) didn’t discourage us-as soon as we were healed, we’d be back outside. I was a good student and went on to college after high school. My goal was to become an elementary teacher (preferably a kindergarten teacher). ·	20-39 Years After college, I got a job teaching fourth grade in an elementary school in Miami. After my practice teaching, I had decided that I really enjoyed the other kids more than the younger ones, and fourth to fifth grade seemed just right. I really enjoyed the older kids more than the younger ones, and fourth to fifth grade seemed just right. I enjoyed teaching and I think I was pretty good at it. I still loved the outdoors and took every opportunity to be out in the sun, whether during the week or on weekends. As I got older, I began to watch my health and especially my skin more and more. I read about the link between sunburns and skin cancer and that worried me. I married a physician, and he insisted that I use sunscreen regularly and remember to wear a hat outdoors. I still loved sailing and going to the beach (so did he), but now I was careful to guard myself and our little son against getting burned.
40-59 Years Thanks to my husband’s concern, I saw my doctor for annual check-ups and followed her instructions religiously. I developed slightly elevated blood pressure as I aged, but the doctor found a combination of medication and die that controls it, so I didn’t worry about it. Because of my history of sunburns, she also checked me carefully for any changes in moles or any other sings of skin cancer. Sure enough, when I was 56, she found a few that were beginning to change. Eventually, I had three of the moles removed surgically. Both the oncologist who did the surgery and my regular doctor said that because we caught the skin cancer early, my chances of recovery were very good.	60+ Years My husband and I are both retired now, and tennis, gold, sailing, and the beach are still regular parts of our lives.