DISTURBING....
Monday I was off of work....
Had my coffee..got my kiddos dropped off at school & I headed to the tanning salon....
OK you caught me... I am a fake baker... I enjoy the warmth of the bed especially on grey Norwegian mornings.... I like the brown color of my skin...
My tanning is probably one of the few things I have in common with most of the Norwegians I know...
We/they like a bit of color...some more than others....
As I slid into the bed I began to calculate how many more times I could go tanning before I leave for Argentina.... important to have a good base ya know...
Ooooo I can't wait..the pictures I am going to take... the blog posts... oh wait.. I haven't finished blogging about my trip this summer... I totally blew the Paris bit off... (see what it is like in my head?...C R A Z Y)
On my way home I popped into the grocery store where I spotted one of the national Norwegian newspapers... with the headline.. "SHE TANNED HER SELF TO DEATH". (sounds a bit National Enquirer-ish so of course I had to pick it up....
The images/story are still lingering in my mind...
The story is about a girl named Sabina who had skin cancer...Disturbing...
I know people with skin cancer...my dad had it...my mother in law...my BFF...
I watched while all 3 had small spots removed... all 3 have been blessed & not had the cancer return...
I have been more careful & haven't allowed myself to BURN since my dad was diagnosed...
I know I am at risk for skin cancer... all of the years of life guarding with nothing but a little BABY OIL on my skin... my high cheekbones & chubby cheeks guaranteed I would end up with blisters on those cheeks... at least once a summer ..every summer...throughout my childhood...
Yet still...I TAN. or at least until Monday when I read Sabina's story..
From what I understand...Sabina was diagnosed with skin cancer... had the spot removed.. only to have it return the following year.. only this time is was very aggressive & fast spreading. It was at this time she started her blog SABINAS KAMP (Sabinas fight)
After reading the story I went over to the blog... her partner had written a post saying the family was distressed by the headline... That wasn't the reason they agreed to go out with the story...
Why am I writing about this?
Because maybe there is someone out there LIKE ME... who doesn't think this could happen to them... Sabina (mother of 2 children) didn't think it could happen to her.... The story just touched/ S C A R E D me.
I am no longer going to the tanning bed... & now off to hunt for the best bronzer/self tanner I can find....
**Sabina passed away in March of this year.. her blog is in Swedish but you should be able to have google translate it for you...
Comments
As an adult I have always worn sunscreen though, and at points have been sun phobic even "I'm burrrnnning the suns evil rays are burrning me". But never because I feared skin cancer.. I feared wrinkles. My skin looks pretty good for my age now.
Anyway glad are a reformed tanner, your skin will thank you (by not possibly killing you and remaining wrinkle free longer too)
I too love tanning, though I haven't been in years!
Now I know why I'll never go back ...
Cloudy day + lake - sunscreen = REALLY BAD Sunburn.
I've had a few removed and thankfully all negative. But still, it is scary!
Wear your sunscreen people!
Living in HI - or anywhere for that matter - the sun is there whether you see it or not. Use sun screen - head to toe.
Good Luck and Im glad your done with the Fake Bake!
especially as one who has tanned since she was 16....
why do we do these things to ourselves under the guise that "tan fat is prettier than white fat"...at least that is my mantra!
The thing is that we do need sun to help us w/ our vitamin D production (did you know that 65% of women have low vit D in their bodies? Some have none) plus having some sun helps to deal w/ depression. As someone in an area w/ little to no sun @ times I'm sure you're aware of that. The thing is you have to be careful & pro-active about skin care. I know that that poor woman's family is grief stricken about the portrayal in the paper but maybe they've saved someone's life.
Tanning, in any form is not as precious as life. Melanoma is aggressive and deadly. I hope many more hear your message. What you've written here is very powerful. Good luck to you :)