Melanoma Awareness Month in 2020

I am writing this on May 1, 2020.  Today is the first day of Melanoma and Skin Cancer awareness month.  May is typically a month where you’ll see news stories on skin cancer awareness and sun safety.  You’ll often see a charity run or walk occurring on the weekend.  It’s a good chance such an event is held to raise money for the Melanoma Research Foundation, AIM for a Cure, or some other melanoma organization. 

However, this year, the medical news is dominated by COVID-19…the pandemic sweeping the world.

There will be no gatherings for a walk.

There will be no gala.  In May, we are slowly trying to reopen the world, but it’ll be a slow and cautious process.  People are not so concerned about skin cancer.

Usually, I would point out that people die of melanoma at a rate of greater than one person an hour. That’s over 9,000 people who will be lost this year.  However, the virus has claimed nearly 63,000 U.S. citizens at the time of this writing within the last 3 or 4 months. 

These deaths do not reduce the significance of the melanoma fatalities by any means. Still, it’s easy for the general population to miss during these times.  I hope that all other deaths outside of the virus will not be forgotten.  The families affected by a death from melanoma, any cancer, heart disease, or any other fatal illness grieve as much as anyone.  This year it might be even harder because the families are not allowed to visit the sick in the hospital.  COVID-19 is killing not only those it affects directly but kills the opportunity to pass on with family near them in the hospital.  Afraid and alone.

2020 is not a typical year.

Please keep all who suffer in your thoughts this year.  Keep those who are trying to keep our sick comforted in your thoughts.  Keep in your thoughts those families who can’t say goodbye, or can’t attend the funeral.

It’s still Melanoma Awareness month, and I plan to post a few more thoughts and reminders.  I encourage you…beg you…to wear sunscreen. I still encourage you to visit your dermatologist on at least an annual basis.  And while you can’t walk or run in a charity event, you can still donate money to the melanoma organization of your choice.

Be safe out there.  And be sun-safe as well.

She Got What She Deserved…?

Earlier this week I shared an article on my Black is the New Pink Facebook page.  It was written by April Pulliam who shared her life-long experience with tanning which ultimately led to her diagnosis of melanoma.  She admitted that her excessive tanning led to her skin cancers.  “I worked so hard for this damage,” she wrote.  “I paid big bucks for years, but it’s nothing compared to the price I am paying now and will continue to pay for years to come.  A tan was never worth it.”  Obviously this is wisdom based upon a difficult experience and poor decisions.

During the last 6+ years of reading and sharing thoughts about melanoma, I have been exposed to many such stories of tanning leading up to a diagnosis of skin cancer or melanoma.  Some former tanners have died as a result.  Some have survived with minimal scarring.  Many experiences lay somewhere in between the two extremes.   April’s story is not new, nor is it unique.  But it’s a story that should be shared as often as possible so that people understand the impact of tanning.  I applaud April sharing her story and for warning others to not make the same mistake.

The day after posting the article, I stumbled upon a video that April had appeared in which she shared her experience.  Despite the same story, the video had much more impact.  The skin on her face was raw due to the annual application of a chemo-cream that wards off pre-cancerous spots on her skin.  (My brother had used the same cream with the same results at one time during his years-long fight).  Not only was April sharing her story, her appearance conveyed the true struggle in living, red color.  Once again, I decided to share her story on my Facebook page.  The first comment posted to the video was this:

“This story pisses me off.  She got what she deserved.  Myself I NEVER EVER willingly went into the sun without sunblock and I got skin cancer.”

Needless to say, her comment inspired many to respond with angered tone.  I’ll admit that I was quite shocked at the statement as well.  Actually, I shouldn’t say I was shocked…I was disappointed.  As social media becomes an engrained part of everyday life, negativity and insensitivity seems to grow by leaps and bounds.  What people state online is often far more harsh than what one would say to a person to his or her face.  With that in mind, this woman’s statement shouldn’t be shocking at all.  But again, it’s disappointing.

My mom smoked.  She died of lung cancer at the age of 70 years old.  Her health suffered.  But she lived a pretty good life.  I’m biased because she was my mom, but I recall so many more good things about her than bad.  She deserved a quiet, painless death at the end of a longer life.  I wish she would have chosen not to smoke, but she didn’t deserve lung cancer even if she did.

My brother died of melanoma at the age of 55.  He never visited a tanning bed that I know of, but he certainly tanned at the pool in the summers.  Baby oil was his “lotion.”  At the time, sunburns were the enemy which we treated with Solarcaine and aloe.  Once the peeling and pain were gone, the issue of damaged skin was never thought of again.  It’s just how it was.  He led a very successful and happy life with his wife Debbie.  He had a great job which made him happy and they had many good friends.  He deserved to be alive today.  He did not deserve melanoma even if he did get some dark tans.

It seems that the lady that responded to the video did everything that she could to not endure sun damage.  Despite her efforts, she got skin cancer.  Perhaps that’s where her anger grows.  I have a cousin who had mouth cancer, despite never having smoked or chewed tobacco or any other “vices” associated with mouth cancer.  He often questioned why chain smokers would live cancer-free yet he had to suffer.  While most melanomas can be attributed to UV exposure, many cases cannot.  It just happens.  Redheads are predisposed to have a higher risk just because of who they are.  It’s not fair.  But redheads don’t “deserve” skin cancer any more than someone who tans.  No one deserves cancer.

I’ve kept the woman’s comment on my page along with the rebuttals and her counter-arguments.  I want there to be a voice…a dialogue.  I seriously doubt that this lady will take back her words in that her anger seems pretty deep.  I’m not a therapist, so perhaps my assumption about her anger is completely off the mark.  Maybe there is some other reason for her anger.  Or maybe she’s just an ass.

Regardless of who she is, she was diagnosed with skin cancer.  I applaud her efforts to fight off the ill-effects of the sun with sunblock.  I am sorry that she was diagnosed anyway.  I hope she doesn’t have melanoma or that she doesn’t have to suffer as April has or as my brother did prior to his death.  She may have pissed off a lot of people with her remarks, but even she doesn’t deserve the skin cancer she got.

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.  

Land of the Oranges

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.