It’s that time of year when the coats come off and the sun tan lotion should go on.  Skin cancer is on the rise.  A young Ottawa mother and the mayor of our city know all about that.  They are part of a multi-million dollar campaign now at the Ottawa Hospital now to improve diagnosis and treat skin cancer faster.

At 35 years old, skin cancer didn't cross Jessica Trotto's mind.  But a new bump on her face bothered her enough that she pushed to get it checked.  It was basal cell carcinoma.

"I was a country bumpkin,’ says Trotto, now 36. “I spent a lot of time in the sun, spent time in tanning beds when I was younger so the damage that was done was done quite some time ago.”

Trotto says the wait to get tested and treated was terrifying.  She had nightmares the cancer was growing.

“It's imperative to reduce those wait times and get people in as early as possible.”

That's why Trotto and Mayor Jim Watson are part of a $3-million dollar fundraising campaign to build a Dermatology Centre of Excellence at the Ottawa Hospital.  Watson has been diagnosed with skin cancer twice.

"This will allow us to see many more patients here in Ottawa,” Mayor Watson explains, as he gets a skin exam done by Ottawa Hospital dermatologist Dr. Jillian MacDonald, “to get detection done earlier and prevent greater illness and in some cases death.”

Right now, malignant melanoma is the second leading cause of cancer in people 25 to 44 years of age.  It's treatable if caught early but deadly if it isn't.

"In 1999 the wait time to see a dermatologist was six weeks,” explains Dr. Jim Walker, the Ottawa Hospital’s Division Chief of Dermatology.  “By 2012, it had increased to 10 months.

With 3 million dollars, the hospital hopes to double the size of its lab, attract new dermatologists and ultimately reduce the wait at the Ottawa Hospital’s Mohs Surgical Unit.

Dr. Jillian MacDonald says "Right now, we only have funding for 3 days a week which means my wait list is just growing and growing. We're booking many months in advance.”

Jessica Trotto now gets regular checks for any abnormal spots. She knows she is lucky her cancer was caught early.

Her advice to young women?  Lather on the sun screen-- and stay out of tanning beds.