MEDFIELD, Mass. -- Shonda Schilling is the loudest voice cheering on her husband -- Red Sox ace Curt Schilling -- but off the field, she spreads the message about sun safety.
Shonda Schilling battled melanoma several years ago, and now, she hopes to change attitudes about soaking up too much sun.
In 2001, Curt Schilling had just been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The family had three children at home, and Shonda Schilling was just 33 years old. But a family member noticed a mole on her back that was diagnosed as Stage 2 malignant melanoma.
"Any doctor, their job is to not cause panic, so he said, 'I'm going to take it off,'" Schilling said. "It went from a 95 percent chance of it being nothing to a 95 percent survival rate. It flipped my life up right there from that point on."
Schilling underwent five surgeries over the next four months.
"I'd have to go back in and have it cut. Not to the doctor's office, but to the hospital," Schilling said.
After her treatment came the guilt. Schilling said that she thought back to her years spent under the rays of the sun or in tanning beds, searching for perfection on the outside.
"I was always worried about being tan or thin and what I thought was beautiful," she said. "When you go through stuff like that, you redirect what you think is beautiful."
Schilling now recommends self-tanners for anyone who wants to add color to their skin. She also keeps her children out of the sun during peak hours. Sun block is a prerequisite before anyone leaves the house, and the family has special gear for the pool.
"They have sun-safe swimsuits," Schilling said. "They're long-sleeve, tightly woven -- like surfing stuff."
Schilling said she has become an expert on skin cancer because she had to. She now takes her message to her children's schools, hoping that one day, with her help, skin cancer will go away.
"I can teach those adults and kids to be aware of their bodies so that nothing happens to them," Schilling said. "I do feel that responsibility."
A few weeks ago, Schilling's efforts helped pass a law in Arizona that makes it mandatory to teach sun safety in public schools.
But Schilling said that awareness begins at home. Everyone should be aware of existing moles and note any change in color, size, shape or feel. Early detection is key to increasing survival rates.
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Pitcher's Wife Battled Melanoma
