You are only hurting yourself (3/6/13)

I hear this a lot when I talk about tanning or tanning beds (for the record, never used a tanning bed). I think this is why people are not so against this idea. You are only hurting yourself.  I started thinking about this when I listened to a Junior during state testing. Kids were done with the test and were talking quietly.

The girl tells the other she hasn't been tanning in three weeks and feels really pale so maybe she'll go today. OK, so play along. Replace that word with SMOKING.

or DRINKING

or DONE DRUGS

or HAD UNPROTECTED SEX

or SHOPLIFTING......

you get the idea. We make underage cigarette purchases and drinking illegal and parents who provide alcohol in their homes to minors (where they are 'safe' and not going to drive or anything) can be held accountable. We remind kids about how bad and illegal drugs are and to stay out of trouble.....but let them go tanning-legally.

Ok, so I only hurt myself laying in the sun in the 80's. We knew nothing about skin cancer. We knew nothing about the dangers of tanning beds. We could also smoke on school grounds.(which I never did) No smoking in most places now but you can still go tanning.

So who has been hurt besides me?

My husband.

My parents.

My family.

My students who had a substitute for the last 6 weeks of school in May.

My friends.

My coworkers.

My dogs.

The dogs who died in a shelter because I wasn't healthy enough to foster.

The people in dog rescue when I had to abruptly drop out due to melanoma.

My brother who needed extra skin removed for his last mole because I have melanoma-he needed 6 stitches instead of 3-4.

My kids last semester as I battled serious health issues and tried to teach.

Everyone who worries about me.

YOU-hey, have health insurance? Well, you pay because of the expensive treatment for Melanoma. It is in your best interest to stop the tanning beds-reduces your premiums. Who is dying from this? People in their 20s are really hard hit. Is you kid only hurting him/herself by tanning and dying at 22?

Oh, and of course, the most innocent. Unborn babies can get melanoma from their mothers while in the womb. Yup-you have melanoma (even if you don't know) there is a chance it can pass to your baby.

Only hurting yourself? I think not.