My family and I recently traveled to see my father and stepmom in Fort
Myers, Florida. We took two days to get
there with the beginning of the second day including the obligatory stop at the
Florida Welcome Center just north of Jacksonville. We walked into the main area and grabbed a small
Dixie cup full of Florida orange juice as the attendant greeted us with a
friendly “Welcome to Florida!” No trip
into the sunshine state is complete without this stop. Welcome to the land of oranges!
Several hours later, we arrived at my dad’s house within the Riverwood
Plantation, a retirement community. Our
plan for the next five days was simply to visit. No adventures to theme parks. No roasting days on the beach. Just enjoy hanging out with the family,
riding bikes, and going to the community pool.
And that’s exactly what we did.
On the first day, however, we discovered that going to the pool would
be a rather challenging task. During the
morning hours, the pool was used for daily aqua-aerobic classes, so having the
kids jumping and splashing wouldn’t be the best idea. We visited in the mid-afternoon but
discovered there was really no place for me and my wife to sit as the kids
swam. (We chose t relax by reading
rather than swimming). Two chairs
eventually opened up, but there was no shade available at all. Despite being slathered with sunscreen, I
felt very sun-exposed. Eventually, a
spot under one of the few umbrellas opened up and we were able to feel a little
safer.
On the second day, I took the kids on a turtle spotting adventure at a
local state park and we didn’t return until close to dinner time. Before eating, we went to the pool to see
what time they closed. Two residents
spoke with us (everyone in this community is very friendly!) and said they
believed the pool closed at 9:00 PM. As
we walked back to my dad’s house, my daughter said, “I’m pretty sure those
people know what the pool hours are.” I
asked her why she thought that. She
replied, “Because they obviously hang out there all day. They’re orange!”
Welcome to the land of the oranges!
She was right. Most of the residents
that enjoyed the pool had very deep tans.
Their skin looked leathery and had a definite orange tone. My kids asked if I should say something to
them about skin cancer, but the truth is I tried that the year before.
Last year was my family’s inaugural trip to visit my dad and stepmom. We had met so many of the residents and
neighbors for the first time and each were very interested in our lives. The subject of my brother and his death by
melanoma came up a few times, and this usually led to a brief discussion about
skin and sun safety. Time and time
again, an orange-toned senior would tell me how sorry they were about my loss
while they intentionally fried in the bright Florida sun. I had mentioned that tanning was a main cause
for all skin cancers, and this was typically met with a story of how they or a
friend once had a skin cancer removed from their back or leg. In some cases, I was even shown a scar, although
it was difficult to see under the glistening sweat and tanning lotion.
I didn’t get on my soap box.
This wasn’t the audience that needed to be preached to about skin cancer…although
they still need to know. These folks, these
sweet, wonderful people that we’ve befriended over two years, have lived long
lives into their 70’s and beyond. They
have tanned all their lives and don’t plan on stopping now. Many spent summers with the same lack of sun
knowledge that many others had, including me.
“SPF” had no meaning and the primary sun care back then was Solarcaine
to be applied after one was burned. The
only thing to be applied while lying out was Hawaiian Tropic or Coppertone
tanning oil. This is simply how it was. And this is simply how it will continue to be
for the pool-worshipping residents in Riverwood Plantation.
This is why the message of being sun smart needs to be focused on our
youth. Our younger children’s skin is
flawless. There are no spots from
decades of sun exposure. There are no
scars from having had “a cancer” removed from their flesh. There are no orange tones. The skin tones are natural. We must continue to reinforce the beauty of
this naturally healthy skin to our kids.
To our older children, we need to show them the affects of sun
exposure. We need to show them the
spots, the scars, the orange tone, and the wrinkled skin of the older
generation caused by sun exposure. We
need to convince them that their natural tone is the most beautiful tone. But our most difficult task might be to teach
them to do as we ask, and not as we’ve done.
To the sun worshipping seniors and near-seniors (like myself) everywhere,
I ask that you begin to practice safe-sun, even if you feel like you’re “beyond
any danger.” (You’re not). But what I ask the most of you is to educate
your children. Show them your scar. Show them the “sun spots” all over your arms
and shoulders. Tell them that people
know better now. Tell them that spending
time in the sun is important and fun, but one has to be smarter about it than
we were. We didn’t know. They should.
Teach them!
Teach them to be sun safe so that the only orange they’ll look forward
to are in little Dixie cups at the Florida border.
