Editors Note: With the start of football season an afternoon in the stands is about the same as a round of golf. The sun safety tips Jamie Michala makes for golfers should be considered by fans in the stands early in the season.

For Haas Family Golf instructor Jamie Michala, the most important lesson she now teaches is helping golfers protect themselves from the sun.

Anyone who spends time around golf courses knows about skin cancer. You notice a small bandage on a golfer’s nose, cheek or ear, and you often don’t have to ask why.

Last January, Jamie Michala got an unwanted surprise when she looked in the mirror.

“I had this little tiny spot on the bridge of my nose and it was around for a couple of weeks,” said Michala. “When it never healed, I decided I better get it checked.”

The popular teaching professional at Haas Family Golf contacted her physician, Dr. Camille Mason, who asked her to send a photograph.

“As soon as she saw the picture, she told me to come in the next day, so I knew it had to be serious.”

A biopsy revealed infiltrative basal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of basal cell skin cancer that can grow deeper into surrounding tissue if left untreated.

The spot appeared in January. The damage that caused it had probably begun decades earlier.

Growing up in Rochester, New York, the sun never seemed like much of a concern. Her fair complexion and light coloring occasionally left her a little red, but never enough to make sunscreen, hats or sunglasses a priority.

As a collegiate golfer at SMU, Michala challenged the Texas sun the same way she had growing up—no hat, no sunscreen and no sunglasses.

The sun started winning.

When she moved to South Carolina to become head golf professional at Thornblade Club, she occasionally declared a truce with the Carolina sun by putting on a golf cap. As the years passed and she spent more time on the practice tee, she slowly began following the advice she had heard growing up.

Cover up.

Like many health issues, however, the damage had been building for years before it finally appeared.

Michala’s diagnosis required Moas surgery, a procedure in which doctors remove and examine one thin layer of tissue at a time until every trace of cancer has been eliminated.

In Michala’s case, Dr. Jim DeBloom spent six hours making sure every cancer cell had been removed. Because of the extent of the surgery, Michala also lost a portion of her nose and later underwent reconstructive surgery performed by Dr. Shawn Birchenough.

“I probably should have been more careful,” she said. “Twenty or 25 years ago you hardly ever heard about something like this. I’m much better now about protecting myself.”

After spending several months away from the practice tee, Michala returned with two missions. One is helping golfers improve their games. The other is making sure they understand the dangers of skin cancer.

Today she wears a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, protective clothing with a high SPF rating and keeps the area where the cancer was removed covered with an extra bandage for added protection.

“I tell everyone they need to cover up, wear hats, use sunscreen and sunglasses,” she said. “And don’t forget to reapply the sunscreen. When you’re active outside, especially in the heat, it wears off and needs to be refreshed.”

Her older students have listened. Several have already had suspicious spots examined or treated after hearing her story.

It is the younger golfers who concern her the most.

“I’m especially worried about the girls,” she said. “I hear them talk about going out and baking. A deep tan is kind of a fashion statement for teenagers, and it can be dangerous.”

Parents often thank her for sharing her experience, hoping the message reaches their children before years of sun exposure begin to catch up with them.

Although her doctors believe the cancer has been eliminated, Michala will continue regular checkups.

“I’m very fortunate. We caught it early. I had great doctors who took care of me, and while it wasn’t easy, we had the outcome we wanted. I just hope I can pass along my experience so others won’t have to go through what I went through.

“I hope they never get a surprise when they look in the mirror.”

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