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According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, researchers now believe that two to three blistering sunburns in childhood more than doubles a person's chances of developing melanoma later in life. "I would get several blistering sunburns in a month," Kay now recalls. "We just considered it as the base for a good tan."

Today, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation website, about one million Americans are affected each year and the incidence of melanoma is rising faster than that of any other cancer. In the past 30 years, skin cancer has tripled in women under the age of 40 and, after thyroid cancer, melanoma is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women between the ages of twenty and twenty-nine. Additionally, in the past twenty years, there has been more than a 100% increase in pediatric melanoma and, by the year 2010, it is projected that melanoma will affect one in 50 Americans.

In an effort to raise awareness, the month of May has been designated National Skin Cancer Awareness Month and many dermatologists offer free skin cancer screenings during that time. Kay Hendricks was a lucky recipient of this program when she was diagnosed seven years ago. "I just went in for a routine visit and was offered the screening." What the doctor found during that screening forever changed Kay's life and her relationship with the sun. "They found a spot on my back that was suspicious, so the doctor performed a biopsy on it," she said. Unfortunately, Kay soon received the devastating news that it was malignant melanoma. "For something the size of the head of a pin, the doctor had to surgically remove a section out of my back that was one inch deep and one inch wide," Kay painfully remembers. "I was stunned to learn of the melanoma, of how fast it grows and how quickly it can spread. To this day I cannot believe how incredibly lucky I was."

After her diagnosis and surgery, Kay became afraid of the sun. "My whole life changed. I was afraid to play tennis, I was afraid to take my kids to the pool, I was afraid to be outside or in the sun at all," Kay explained. "My whole world came to a screeching halt." Short of staying indoors until sundown or applying sun block every two hours, Kay knew she needed a more practical way to protect her skin from the sun's harmful UV rays.

Kay began searching and found a product she had not known was available: UV protective clothing. She ordered several pieces and began wearing them all the time. "It would be 100 degrees outside and I would be wearing a long-sleeve shirt. People would look at me like I was crazy!" Kay said. "But I felt protected and was able to be outside again without fear."

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, clothing is an important factor in reducing exposure to UV rays. Dark-colored fabrics are more effective than light colors at blocking out the sun. "A big misconception parents make is thinking that if their child swims in a white t-shirt, at the beach or pool, they are somehow protected," Kay explained. "A white cotton t-shirt provides only moderate protection with an average SPF (sun protection factor) of 7. In addition, once that shirt gets wet, it looses even more of its protective value and drops to around an SPF of 4."

The lack of locally available sun protective clothing, and Kay's passion for keeping herself and her family protected, have inspired Kay to open up UV Gear & Fashion, her own clothing store dedicated to selling UV protective items. This, she feels, is her way of helping others to continue to enjoy the sun while minimizing the harm it causes. Prevention and protection, without fear or avoidance, is what Kay Hendricks knows is the way to enjoy being touched by the sun.

Reprinted from the May 2007 issue of CountyLine magazine with the permission of Sugarcane Communications LLC