This is my Public Service Announcement to those who we love:
- Wear your sunscreen - a minimum of SPF15 (We used 30SPF but now will invest in 70SPF)
- Wear long sleeves if you are going to be in the sun for any length of time - i.e. mowing the grass, weeding the garden, biking or hiking with your kids etc.
- Wear Brimmed hats (and for you guys out there: A baseball cap does NOT qualify) it needs to cover a good 2 inches all the way around your head. A friend recommends the Tilley Hat Co. for some good choices. Have your kids wear hats from a very young age. They get used to it and will do it the rest of their lives. We are much more vigilant than we were before and we were pretty strict before this.
- Put sunscreen on at least 30 mins. before going out into the sun. It is much more effective if you do this. Also, reapply every couple of hours.
- Do not allow your children to get severely burnt. It is these severe burns that lay the groundwork for Melanoma/Skin Cancer later in life.
- Avoid the sun during the peak hours. These are from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. When we are at Lake Sherwood, Camp etc we try to wait until late afternoon to go swimming. It is worth the wait.
- Have your children wear rashgaurd swim shirts that have a built in SPF. You can do a search for SPF clothing online and find a ton of stuff. It is worth the investment. Note: this does not preclude the need for Sunscreen - it works with sunscreen.
- Use UVA/UVB rated sunglasses. It is worth the investment.
So now let me tell the reason for the PSA. As you can tell from the past few posts my beloved had a mole on his arm. He had it last year - it looked the same for nearly a year. When we were in SC in April working on the deck for Mama and Daddy both of us (and my sisters, brother-in-law, nephew) got burnt - badly. It was one of those cloudy days - didn't think about the sunscreen - there was no sun.
When his arms peeled the mole pitted out. He went in July finally for a biopsy. It came back as Invasive Melanoma. He had surgery a couple of weeks ago. Since the initial biopsy came back we have had the surgery, visits back with the plastic surgeon, surgeon and now here is the kicker, the Oncologist! Yes, you read that right the Oncologist. We were more than a bit scared when our surgeon told us he needed to see this dr. And even more frightened when we called and the receptionist told us "I don't have him scheduled for chemo on Friday." WOW?
We knew that the surgeon said he was cancer-free. Yet the oncologist? So with much trepidation (and with my heart in my throat) we went to the oncologist on Friday. Turns out he does NOT have to have chemo. PRAISE THE LORD!
However, he does have to have a chest X-ray and blood work every 6 months for the rest of his life. Yes, you read that right, the REST of his LIFE! He is 40 years old. And he has an oncologist for the rest of his life.
So I am now on a mission to protect the rest of his skin appropriately and of course to teach our babbies to do the same with their skin. And I want you all to be more aware of what you can do. Hence the PSA.
We love you! Jesus loves you. We want everyone in our lives for a long time to come. We hope this helps you think about putting on your protective gear.
In Christ's Abundant and Carrying Love,
Peg
