Masja

Tell us what you’d like us to know about yourself:

My name is Masja Annoesjka Ros. I live in The Netherlands with my husband and our two pre-teenage daughters. I was born and raised in Amsterdam but have lived abroad twice in my life. I had a year in Ireland as a kid and again in Israel as a young adult. I am a creative thinker who just loves the magical feeling I get when I ‘join the dots’ and spot an opportunity. I have been diagnosed with skin cancer twice in my life, and this was really what drove me to become a ‘Ginger on a mission’ and a skinfluencer-wannabe. 


Can you tell us about your cancer journey and the work you do today to raise awareness?

When I was 38 my friend Kim discovered a suspicious looking mole on my back while we were on holiday in Sicily. I couldn’t see the spot myself but she told me that it looked weird and that I should have it checked by a doctor. I am glad she convinced me to take action because it turned out to be melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer and the one that can easily spread to other parts of your body. I was very lucky that it had been caught early. Other than two operations, I didn’t require any further treatment. Kim had literally saved my life.

The second time I got hit by melanoma was nine years later. This time I noticed a small lump in my armpit. Long story short: the cancer had already spread to my lymph nodes. This time around however, I was not so lucky. It was a really tough period in my life. I was caring for two small children of 5 and 7 years old while having over 50 hospital visits in one year. It goes without saying, that it took me another year just to process the emotional rollercoaster of what I had been through. But I survived!

In a way, my cancer journey has made me more conscious about many things. The feeling of gratitude towards family and friends as well as my renewed appreciation of nature, is immense. Suddenly I was able to let go of a lot of insecurities, shyness and fears that I had been dealing with for many years. It felt as if I had been given another free ride on the merry go round called life. This made me determined to do something meaningful, so I signed up as a volunteer for the ‘Dutch Melanoma Patient Foundation’. At first as a member of the editorial board and later, also as its social media manager. Besides volunteering, I eventually got back in the saddle as a ‘freelance creative’ and did concept and content creation for awareness campaigns such as; ‘Check, Check, Check Your Body’ and ‘Sun Safe in the Snow’ and also ‘Sun Safe You’, which is ongoing the whole year round on the Instagram account ‘Discover Your Spot’.


What is your career today?

I have been self-employed for more than 25 years, with a past in interviewing, writing articles, and columns for lifestyle magazines. I then started to work for television programmes as a web editor as my assignments gradually shifted from offline, to online commissions. Around that time I discovered that being creative, really is where my talent lies. ‘Concept & Content’ creation is what I adore and have mainly been doing for the last couple of years. I love collaborating with other creatives and producing online campaigns. Social Media has made it possible to spread cancer awareness, even with smaller budgets and to activate followers to hop on board a campaign. That’s the beautiful part of working for a non-profit such as ‘Patient Organisation’, a lot of people at its grassroots are willing to help spread the word. They know first-hand what it’s like to deal with something as unpredictable as a melanoma. They know too, how it feels to lose friends and family to this horrible disease. They are acutely aware that skin cancer is the number one cancer in The Netherlands, with over 70.000 newly-diagnosed people every year. They know, that too much exposure to UV-rays is the major cause.

I’d like to stress that protection yourself against the sun is not rocket science and it certainly is a hell of a lot easier than dealing with a skin cancer diagnosis and treatment! There are still so many people who have no idea of the consequences of all that sun exposure, not to mention what to look for when it comes to checking their skin. Being sun smart and early detection are key. That’s why I am so passionate about the work that I do. I help to raise public awareness to the danger of unprotected sun exposure by using new media tools like GIFs and GIF stickers which provide endless opportunities to create wonderful content for a good cause.


I have been diagnosed with skin cancer twice in my life, and this was really what drove me to become a ‘Ginger on a mission’ and a skinfluencer-wannabe. 


What’s the best and the worst part of getting older for you?

Since I feel like I am living on borrowed time, the best part is actually getting older! I am so thankful for every day that I am here. I even feel happy that I can witness the skin on the back of my hands grow older. The tough time I went through, has made me less fearful and more open to all of the small and beautiful stuff. It’s like the experience of being so close to death and recognizing my own mortality, has made me more open to seeing things in a brighter light. It almost feels at times, as if I have managed to recapture the innocence of my childhood, and I love that!  I used to be very shy and never in the world, did I ever imagine that I would be able to give a guest lecture to a group of medical students or lead a workshop about crowdfunding on social media or do a live interview on Instagram TV – and actually enjoy it! The worst part could be that it took me so darn long to become who I am today. On a lighter note, I am also not as flexible on the dancefloor as I used to be. Those stiff bones in the morning are a true fact. 


If you could tweet your younger self a message, what would it say? 


Love and protect the skin you are in. SPF is your BFF. Shade is cool and hats rock! 



How do you stay healthy these days? Both physically and mentally?

I love playing music with my band ‘Lost Cabin’ and I can’t wait to start rehearsing with them as soon as everyone is vaccinated. There is a lot of consolation in music for me. No matter how weary my mind is, playing our songs or listening and dancing to music that I can’t keep me still too, is the best medicine. Dancing in the living room with my kids is wonderful and a great workout, especially since I haven’t seen the inside of a gym for quite a while. I enjoy taking a good solo walk and getting a clear head before I start working, and on the weekends I spend time in the dunes or forest. Also ever since I started doing yoga, I’ve learned about breathing in a deeper way and I find this very stress releasing. 


What is the first thing you do in the morning to start your day in a positive way?

I take a good look at my sleeping family and kiss their sweet faces.


What’s your fantasy version of your 80-year-old self?

I hope I will be a lot like my dad, who is now 82. He is still very interested in Art and he’s the type who won’t hesitate to hop on a train by himself to go and see an exhibition in Belgium for a day. He takes daily walks around the neighborhood, talks to youngsters in his favorite pub, cooks healthy meals, reads books every evening, paints and hasn’t lost his great sense of humor or his ability to do funny walks. I also admire that he has deep friendships with the people he loves. 


If you had a warning label what would it be? 


Don’t fence me in. 



What’s your age and how old do you feel?

I am 52, I feel 52 and I feel very lucky to be 52. I still remember my childhood very well and I enjoy the thought of having a suitcase and filling it with memories of my children as they grow up and as I get older. For example, I have promised my oldest daughter, who recently turned 12, that we will start going to the gym together as soon as they open up after long lock down. I guess that only then, will I truly know how old I feel, hahaha!




Styling Dayenne Bekker
Blouse by Zara and pants by Scotch and Soda
Makeup and hair Bianca Fabri
Text edit Cathleen Kilbca
Visit the Dutch foundation for Malanoma


This community originated from my love for photography, fashion, lifestyle, and consciousness. After I turned 40 I started to miss inspiring websites with coolness and authenticity towards aging.

#ANDBLOOM