On a serious note

"One in five Americans will develop skin cancer during his or her lifetime.

 That works out to more than 3,000,000 new cases annually, and more than 10,000 deaths. Epidemic increases are being seen in all types of skin cancer. In the  majority of cases, the cause is exposure to the sun. "  http://www.skincancer.org/

Never say never.  Right?  Isn't that how the quote goes?  I think so.  Well I never thought I would think twice about skin cancer.  Being tan has always been TOP priority for me...kind of like my nails for those that know me well!  Haha:)   I grew up with a swimming pool in my back yard and starting in my early teens when appearance became "important," it became my goal to have a tan.  Sunscreen?  Heck no!  Not me.  In fact, my friends and me would buy oils and sheens to spray our bodies down so that we may fry to a crisp.  That would make us extra golden right?  Yes, for a little while.  Until we peeled like crazy and it faded away.  The saga would continue on and on and on even through winter months into my senior year with the craze of the newest fad of the tanning bed.  When I was about 17 I started going to the tanning bed so that I could keep a tan all year around.  I pretty much kept the habit of tanning until last year.  THAT'S A LONG TIME to not care what I've done to my body.  Not really that I haven't "cared" per say, but I haven't "thought" about it.   That is until March of this year when my dad was diagnosed with malignant melanoma on his neck.  WHAT a life changing WAKE UP CALL!  I never in a million years would've predicted that if a family member of mine got cancer  it would be skin cancer.  But it happened to daddy and I've quickly realized that with all the sun damage my body has seen, it could happen to me too.  In fact I'm now 50% more likely to develop melanoma now because he had it.   It makes me scared!  Scared to death!  So scared that I'm vowing to change my life style and a habit......addiction.....that has been with me for over 15 years.
 
If you've laid eyes on me lately you'll notice that I'm white.  Very white.  I like to call it my "natural color."  Haha!  Kind of like your hair ya know?  I'm going natural these days and I'll admit it has been an adjustment.  Like I said earlier, I've always had a tan and it's always mattered to me that I did.  Somehow I'm beginning to look at things a little different these days.  I think about the 2 girls that God has given me and how it's my responsibility to raise them to have a healthy body image, and to teach them that beauty is not all about how they "look."  I got to thinking about how many times I've left Marley Grace at home with Kevin so that I could "run to the tanning bed." All the while her knowing where I was going.  My point is that I don't want her growing up thinking that she has to be tan to be beautiful,  and that since momma did it then she should too.   It's not just about that though.  Tanning in the tanning bed is dangerous!  In fact it can be lethal.  Tanning outside without the proper sun protection is also dangerous.  I have a best friend that wears 50 SPF every time she goes to the pool and the beach.  I used to laugh and laugh at her until I realized that she's the one being smart.  You can actually still get a tan with sunscreen!  Matter of fact, it's the only way I'll ever get a tan from now on.  More and more dermatologists are saying that putting on sunscreen each day should be just as common as brushing our teeth.  I'm telling you, I never took any of this serious until I went with my dad to have his neck and half of his jaw cut into.   Or until I talked to his doctor after his surgery and he said to me,    " our best hope is if this melanoma has not spread."  (which is did NOT praise the LORD)  And now I watch him take a chemo-type drug every week just as a "preventitive" that makes him absolutely sick as a dog, just so this stuff doesn't come back.  I'm telling you it's not worth it.  There are stories after stories after stories and I know that you've heard and read them.   20 minutes from here in Baldwyn is a 29 year old girl that discovered a melanoma on her leg that had spread already into her lymph nodes.  She is currently having to be treated at MD Anderson.  It's a tough case.  My heart is saddened for her family and her small child. 

I write this blog as if I'm begging all of my readers to join in this "white skin is in" campaign with me.  Yes, I wish more people would take it serious but I know that it's one of those things that until it directly affects you it's hard to comprehend.  The truth is that this challenge is more for me.  For my friends and readers to hold me accountable.  It's going to be really hard come March when everyone has spring fever and the time comes when I would be heading back to the tanning bed to get my summer tan going.    I'm going to want to go back to my old ways.  However, I am taking a stand against it.  Life is more precious to me and I want to be around as long as the Lord allows.  There are so many diseases and cancers that just "happen" to us that we really can't prevent or do anything about, but skin cancer is different.  We can most definitely do something about it.  We can be proactive in wearing sunscreen, making sure our kids have it on, and staying out of tanning beds.  I may not have made the wisest decisions in the past regarding my skin and the sun, but I don't think it's ever too late.    Just want to leave with something I read on http://www.skincancer.org/ .  This website has great information and also shows you how to do a self mole check each month.  

                          The Ten Percent Tax on Tanning Beds Could Save Lives

"The new federal law taxing individuals who use tanning salons went into effect on July 1. This may discourage people from using tanning beds, which greatly increase a person’s risk of developing skin cancer."

"A new study shows that indoor ultraviolet (UV) tanners are 74 percent more likely to  develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors. The more time a person has spent tanning indoors, the higher the odds of developing the disease. According to the study, the type of tanning machine used affects melanoma risk – some tanners were 4.44 times as likely as non-tanners to develop melanoma."

Like I said.....scary.