Around the nation, the school year is winding up, the days are stretching longer, and the sun is moving higher overhead.

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month for a reason – whether on the beach or in the backyard, it’s important to protect your skin from damaging sun overexposure.

That’s the message Health First Manager Victor Rodriguez shared with Spectrum News 13. A decade ago, Rodriguez lost his father to metastatic melanoma, a less common skin cancer than basal or squamous cell carcinomas, but more aggressive – and deadly.

Rodriguez and his father, a baker, are of Cuban descent.

“Besides living in Florida, he wouldn’t be someone you would suspect as high-risk, not someone who’s super fair-skinned,” Rodriguez told viewers. “Hispanics, we don’t really hear about it too much that we’re at risk for something like that. So, it was a shock to me and my sister.”

Today, Rodriguez is diligent about applying a high-SPF sunscreen to much of his body, and a zinc-oxide-based sunblock to his ears, neck and face.

READ the full story at Spectrum News 13 HERE.