THE FIGHT OF HER LIFE
Shonda Schilling recalls her brush with cancer

Skin cancer survivor Shonda Schilling spoke before a packed audience at The Hill on April 1 about the dangers of sun exposure.   The event was organized by the Stonehill Public Relations Society.

Schilling, the wife of Red Sox great Curt Schilling, started the SHADE Foundation in August 2002 after her successful battle against skin cancer. The Foundation is dedicated to eradicating melanoma through the education of children and the community in the prevention of skin cancer.

Sun Burned
“I grew up in Maryland and, as a teenager, I used to crawl out onto the roof of my parents’ home, covered with baby oil, to get a tan,” explained Schilling. “If that wasn’t enough, I lived at the beach for four months a year. I made sure that I took a nighttime job so that I wouldn’t miss the sun.”

Schilling was a Miss Maryland contestant, and was part of the beauty pageant circuit for years. “Part of being in the pageants, was the tanning booth,” she said.

“After meeting Curt, I lived in Florida and, along with other Red Sox wives, I spent my days at the beach. We had it in our minds that we were judged for our appearance – the Tropicana tan, trying to be dark, trying to be thin, and trying to be blonde.”

That all changed when Schilling was diagnosed with skin cancer in February of 2001. At the age of 33, she was told that she had stage 2 malignant melanoma. The fair-skinned blonde was given a 95% chance of survival -- if she underwent surgery.

Shock of Cancer
The reality that she had cancer, and that it could be deadly, hit her hard, she told the audience. “I did this to myself,” she said when diagnosed.

The initial surgery involved the removal of six inches of tissue from her back. Four surgeries later, Schilling was left with 25 scars across her back, arms, legs, and chest.

Showing photos of her back to the audience, she asked, “Do you still think that I believe that beauty is the same thing? I had to rethink, ‘what is beautiful?’”

Raising Awareness
To raise awareness of the dangers of sun exposure, Schilling agreed to appear in the media. Her experience on ESPN television was a real eye opener.

“The reporter’s attitude was, ‘oh the poor princess, she had to have a little surgery.’” So I showed her the pictures. Finally, people began to realize that THIS is cancer, and it can be fatal.”

In an effort to drive home the reality of skin cancer, Schilling even invited Good Morning America into the operating room to witness her final surgery. She also allowed Glamour magazine to photograph the effects of the illness, hoping, she said, that her story might lead others to alter their sun habits and have their skin checked.

Schilling now travels the country for SHADE, educating children and communities in the prevention and detection of skin cancer. Partnering with the Environmental Protection Agency, she promotes the use of sun protection screens over playgrounds and the SunWise curriculum program in the classroom.

Ending the presentation with a photo of a translucent-skinned Schilling with her husband and her blonde children, she commented, “My kids are my inspiration to like who you are and to know that you don’t have to be tanned.”

Issued 04/02/08