Giada De Laurentiis Talks Motherhood and Melanoma Awareness

Nearly 10 years ago Giada De Laurentiis lost her brother, Dino, to stage 4 melanoma. He was only 30 years old. "I didn't actually believe he was going to die," the Emmy award-winning Food Network chef says. "He was diagnosed at age 29 and I thought, 'Oh, he can fight this, he's young.' And then when we actually lost him, I realized nothing can be taken for granted in this life, and you better make the most of every single day."

While admitting her brother's bout with cancer made her a bit of a "hypochondriac," she also says "It made me work harder. It made me really appreciate every day I'm here and feel good, and it also made attuned to my body a lot more than ever before." Now Giada is on a mission to bring that level of awareness to the public in a recent PSA collaboration with the Melanoma Research Alliance and Stand Up for Cancer.

Parade talked with the Italian chef about her campaign for awareness, how motherhood has helped her heal and her plans for Mother's Day.

On her work with the Melanoma Research Alliance and Stand Up for Cancer: 
"I want people to not be afraid of the sun and melanoma, but to be aware. Get to know your skin, and notice if there are changes. If there are, go to the dermatologist– do not wait. I want to take the intimidation out of going to see a doctor. I want them to feel like they're empowered with the knowledge of how to protect themselves so they can be around for a long time to come. Catching melanoma early is one of the keys to surviving. If my brother had caught the changes in his mole early on, he would still be around today. "

On getting the message through to young men: 
"I think women tend to look at their bodies more, but young men typically don't, and they also usually feel they don't need to go to the doctor or wear sun screen. The truth is, it affects everybody at any age, and it unfortunately can kill you. The younger you are the quicker it spreads."

Steps for prevention: 
"First, protect yourself from the sun every day. Wear sunscreen whether it's cloudy, rainy, or sunny. Second, get to know your skin and examine yourself regularly for any changes. Third, avoid indoor tanning. Tanning beds are not good for your skin at all. I know people feel having nice a glow looks good, but try to find a tanning cream that works for you. There are even tanning sprays that are beneficial and good for your skin. I think those are better options and frying yourself unprotected, and it's much better than going to a tanning bed."

On how motherhood has helped her heal since her brother's death: 
"I never really thought I was going to have kids. I have nieces and nephews and I am a Godmother to many children, but I never really thought I was going to have my own. When my brother died, I was so close to him that I became very vulnerable and I was afraid to open my heart up again. I didn't want to experience that kind of loss and pain any more in my life, and it took me a while to really think about a child. Well, my daughter Jade just turned 5. She's probably the best thing I've ever done in my life and she's also opened my eyes up to really enjoying every day and not taking things too seriously. She's allowed me to love in a full way, which I think that had stopped when my brother died 10 years ago. She's reopened my eyes to the world around me and my ability to truly love someone again."

On surprises and lessons learned as a wife and mother:
"I think the biggest surprise is that I can still have a full career and be a mother. I thought for sure when I had my daughter this career would have not gone away completely, but slowed way, way down. I didn't think that I could do as much as I do. And truly, I can only do that because I have a great husband who really does support me and is able to get Jade up and the morning and put her to bed at night even with a full-time job of his own. I guess I never realized what a true partnership was until now, and I've been with my husband for 22 years!  It wasn't until Jade came along that we really started juggling all of these pieces. That's been the biggest surprise."

On her relationship with Jade: 
"I know I'm her mother, but she's become my best friend. We have so much fun together. I never realized I could have so much fun with a 5 year old! I didn't think it was possible, but we laugh so much, and she's so inquisitive. I thought maybe she wouldn't want to cook like me because she'd want to do her own thing, but she's so into what I do and wants to be by my side every day."

On the inspiration for her new children's book series, Recipe for Adventure: 
"I remember Sundays in the kitchen as a kid cooking with my grandparents, where my grandfather would tell us about these awesome adventures he had as a kid. He was one of 10 children in Naples before World War II and his parents owned a pasta factory. He would tell us about the adventures he had as he went to sell his parent's pasta sauces. And I just remember as a child fantasizing and imagining going on these trips as he told his stories. And so I tell these stories to Jade, and I thought how fun would it be to actually put it down into a story book. And so this isn't a cookbook, it's an actual story book, and it's called Recipe for Adventure. The first adventure is in Naples, and the next is in Paris. It comes out September 10th. I think its a really fun way for kids, adults - who ever - to be transported into another world and to learn a little bit about how the food of that place defines and makes us who we are. It's a really fun, fun story. I'm extremely proud of it. It's a passion project. I've been reading it to Jade and it's been a blast."

What Mother's Day means to her, and how she plans to celebrate this year: 
"When I was a kid Mother's Day was spent with the whole family. With my aunts and grandmother, cousins–everybody that has children. Nowadays, Todd and Jade make me breakfast in the morning and it's just the three of us - the "three amigos" as Jade says. Later in the day, I do an early dinner for just the women in my family: My aunts, mom, sister, and Todd's mother and sister in-law. Sometimes I cook, sometimes we go out, sometimes we go to one of our houses. I think its important to spend time with your family, but also have 'girl time' with the moms in your life. Even if it's not your own mom, but maybe a friend who you connect with and  respect. I think its important to connect on that level. Women really need each other to get through some things that we don't discuss with the men in our lives. So I think Mother's Day is for all women. Regardless of whether you have children or not, you have a mother, so that day should be thought of as a time to enjoy some girl time."

On how she feels about breakfast in bed: 
"It depends on what my husband Todd serves me. Sometimes he likes to make something he calls a 'Scramble Surprise' which means whatever is leftover in the fridge from the night before, he mixes it with eggs and serves it to me. I find that hard to eat in bed. What I do love in bed is an Americano and chocolate croissant. I like to dip the croissant in the Americano. It makes a mess, but quite frankly, it's a mess I enjoy."

Recipes from Giada for Mother's Day:
Linguine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Olives, and Lemon
Crispy Chicken with Rosemary-Lemon Salt