The Wolf Reveals Itself

Back in May, I wrote a post about the proposed tanning ban bill in North Carolina and how the American Suntanning Association actually supported the bill.  (It has yet to pass).  I stated that I was suspicious of the ASA’s motives to back such legislation to ban minors from tanning salons.  I suspected that they wanted any discussion of the negative impact of tanning to be swept under the rug. 

“Having no opposition to this bill means there will be no heated debate.  There will be no online forums.  There will be minimal media coverage at best.”

I went on to predict that while people would celebrate the passage of such a bill, the tanning industry would be licking their chops toward an older population.  After all, according to the ASA, those under 18 years of age account for only about 2% of the indoor tanning clientele.

“I predict the ASA will refocus their monies from fighting legislation to pushing the tanning industry on the over 18 crowd.  College towns will have an increase in tanning salons.  Specials on lotions and tanning sessions will be promoted on campus.  University girls will be reminded that having no tan before Spring Break is a fashion faux pas.  The wolf will shed its sheep’s clothing and the tanning industry will evoke a full frontal assault on the 20-somethings.  Sadly, many will buy into it all.”

Today, I read where that sheep’s clothing has indeed been shed,  Here's one of many articles.

A study published in JAMA Dermatology (a journal of the American Medical Association) reports that 12% of the top 125 colleges across the US provide on-campus tanning facilities. Over 14% of colleges allow the use of campus cash cards to pay for tanning.   Also, more than 42% of the campuses have tanning facilities in off-campus housing that are pretty much part of the rent.  In other words, there is no limit on usage for the tenants!

The conclusion of the study: “Reducing the availability of indoor tanning on and around college campuses is an important public health target.”

What did the tanning industry have to say about this? Well, the Indoor Tanning Association stated “There is no consensus among researchers regarding the relationship between melanoma skin cancer and UV exposure either from the sun or a sunbed.”  No surprise there.  The wolf is back.

We need to take the study’s conclusion to heart…we need to make college-supported tanning a target for elimination.  We, as alumni, students and supporters need to contact our institutions of higher learning and demand that on-campus tanning be eliminated completely.  We need to demand that the schools not endorse off-campus housing that provides tanning beds as amenities.  We need to support and promote any campaigns that educate the student population on UV exposure and its true relationship to skin cancer and melanoma.  We need to contact our fraternity brothers and sorority sisters and encourage them to take positive action in this cause.  We need to make the university and college student population understand that the damage they do to their skin today will last a lifetime.

Please take action.  It’s the only way to defeat the wolf.  

The Staging Debate: An Analogy

Note: This post is not intended to reflect my views on gun control or gun owner rights…it is to merely serve as an analogy to make my point.

A gun was pointed right at you.  The eyes of the gunman were wild and stared into your soul.  You glanced at the gun and saw his trigger finger curl.  Then there was the deafening sound.  There was no way you could completely dodge the bullet. 

There are a few scenarios that could have played out from this scene.  Let’s count them down from worst to best.

4. The bullet inflicted a severe wound and you had an 85% chance of dying.  The internal damage was extensive and you likely suffered a painful death.

3. The bullet inflicted significant damage to a major organ and you were in intensive care and watched closely.  You still had a 60% chance of dying.  If you didn’t die, the recovery process was slow, painful and expensive. 

2. The bullet hit no vital organs but you were still hurt quite significantly.  You may have gone through rehabilitation and suffered permanent scarring.  Chances are that you lived, but you may have limitations later in life…not only physical, but mental and emotional.  The image of your experience will never go away.

1. The bullet hit your arm or leg, but didn’t cause major damage.  You required some minor surgery and ended up with scarring, but there was no danger at loss of life.  You will, however remain emotionally scarred.

0. The bullet barely grazed you.  You had no physical evidence of being hurt except for maybe a scratch, but you may wake up from your sleep with nightmares of your experience.

Of these five results, would you claim that any is not a victim of an armed assault?  My guess is no.  Whether you died or you were barely touched by the bullet, the morning headline would still most likely read, “One Person Shot.”  You would indeed be a victim.

So why is it that someone with Stage IV melanoma (who has only a 15% chance of surviving) is deemed as a melanoma warrior or survivor, but those diagnosed Stage 0 or Stage I are told they can’t be considered the same?

Sure, the higher stage diagnosis involves a LOT more heartache, pain, treatment and money spent.  No one would ever dispute that a Stage 4 warrior suffers far more than a Stage I patient.  But anyone…ANYONE…who is told “you have cancer” has seen that gun barrel pointed right at their chest.  They’ve seen the wild eyes of a killer face-to-face.  They’ve realized that they have a very real chance of something going very bad.  Perhaps hearing those words…”you have cancer”…is what defines a warrior.  It’s what defines a survivor.

There is one difference between the analogy comparing an armed assault victim to a melanoma patient.  The gun victim may never have to experience such an encounter again.  The melanoma warrior has a 1 in 3 chance of the melanoma coming back.  And in the case of my low-stage diagnosed brother, it came back to kill him 6 years later.

Pennies and a Tutu

Please accept my apologies for my absence from blogging.  Work is always a challenge, plus I went on a vacation, celebrated an anniversary, and enjoyed the height of softball season for my daughter (my first as a sport parent).  Oh, and there was this little thing called the 4th AnnualAmanda Wall – Corey Haddon Memorial Walk…also known as the Miles for Melanoma – Raleigh Walk.  (Whew…that’s a long name!)

This is the third year that I’ve been associated with this walk and it’s greatly rewarding every time.  Admittedly, those that founded this walk do a lot more than I, but I still try to pitch in when I can.  For me personally, this was the most successful walk yet!  Here’s why:

Over $22,000 raised!  This is lower than our goal, but considering that the committee cut back on some raffle items, we did pretty damn good!

One of our top fund-raising (nearly $3000) and entertaining teams...The Sun Block-ade 

Blue Lizard!  The awesome sunscreen company became a corporate partner with the walk this year and made their presence known with some samples at the walk.  It was nice to know that Blue Lizard is now available locally at Harris Teeter supermarkets (although…pssst…it’s cheaper to order online).

Blue Lizard...Corporate Sponsor!

Skin screening!  For the first time, we had a dermatologist (from Sanford Dermatology) performing free skin screenings.  The doc pointed out two spots that should be looked at more closely.  I have my annual appointment in about a month, so you can bet that my dermatologist will be made aware of these spots!

Family and friend support!  While I would promote the walk at my workplace in previous years, there seemed to be a greater interest this year.  This was partly due to the Amanda-Corey group’s presence at my company’s health fair in August.  Also, I decided to be a bit more aggressive in urging people to attend or donate.  And they did!  Plus, my family joined me at the walk for the first time.  There had always been some conflict in the past, but this year I got to have my wife and two kids walk along side…even though they seemed a little wary of my attire.

Co-workers Phung and Marcie, Marcie's kids Max and Connor, Me, my kids and my wife Kim  (missing from photo are co-worker spouse Jon Bailey and son Joshua)

Pennies!  I decided to start a campaign called #CARRYMYPENNY in which I would carry a penny for every dollar donated.  While my unofficial total was $860, I went ahead a carried an even 1,000 pennies just in case I missed a few.  That’s 6 ¼ pounds worth of pennies.  Admittedly, that’s not a lot, but I can tell you that it feels quite a bit heavier after 3 miles of walking.  Although as you can see in the next photo, I had a bit of help from one of my co-worker’s sons.

Connor toting my pennies!

Tutu!  I was very proud to wear the black tutu as the East Coast Division of Men in Black.  There was talk among the Amanda-Corey group that perhaps others would don the tutus next year for certain donation amounts.  I know this method works…I had a rush of donations once I announced I’d wear the tutu after I hit the $500 mark.  Perhaps next year I’ll offer other humiliating incentives for higher amounts.  I need to ponder that for a while.

Man in Black...East Coast Division

My friends at the Amanda-Corey Walk deserve a nice long rest and a celebration dinner.  I know they’ll start planning again in a couple months, and I have no doubt that next year’s event will be spectacular!