THE TANNING PHENOMENUM

By Donna Erickson

“Let’s go tanning!” That was the summer catch phrase in the 1960’s and 70’s, when I was growing up. As tweens and teens, we baked ourselves on the beach, in search of the perfect shade of golden brown. We never thought twice about the possible outcome lurking ahead. My girl friends and I knew nothing about sun damage, skin cancer, or even sunscreen. “Pass the baby oil,” we’d shout to one another. We were shielded only by our ignorance at the time.

Had we known the potential consequences, however, would we have even cared? We had no concept of the future, growing old, or the possible dangers of our self-indulgent habits.
Yet, with all the progress made in this area, the same is true today—even with unmistakable warnings about harmful effects of the sun and UV rays. I see my nieces and others in their age group rushing out to tanning salons before prom dates and bathing suit season.

A few years ago, I hit the pivotal age of fifty. The big 5-0. I began to screen more aggressively for problems with cholesterol, blood pressure, and the like. I woke up one day with the idea of getting a full skin check. I figured, now that I was 50, I owed it to myself. I knew I had a lot of moles, but was under the impression that being olive-skinned gave me extra protection from the sun and reduced my risk for skin cancer.

I made an appointment with a dermatologist and didn’t give it a second thought. After waiting a few weeks, the day of my examination arrived. I was inspected from head to toe, literally--even in between my toes--for suspicious-looking moles. The doctor spotted a few and removed one easily with an instrument right in the office. The others would need to be removed surgically the following week.

I had to wait for the specimens to be biopsied before I could receive the results. The doctor told me not to worry, and I went on with my busy life. When the results came in, they were a bit surprising. All the moles had atypical cells, which meant they could have been or become pre-cancerous. I had a syndrome, which caused me to be prone to abnormal moles. But, one mole on my back was “borderline melanoma.” Amidst the confusion in the office, the nurse told me, on the phone, it was “in situ melanoma.” She was skimming through the report and trying to decipher it. I asked, “Do I have cancer?” Her reply was, “They got it all.”

When I saw my doctor for the follow-up appointment, the confusion was finally clarified. The mole was bordering on in situ melanoma but had not become melanoma yet. The doctor apologized for my ordeal and said she would speak with the nurse. She explained that she could send the specimen to three different labs and get three different reports! “It’s not an exact science,” she said. The doctor scheduled me for further surgery, on my back, to remove all the borders around the affected area.

I found out I had scheduled my initial appointment just in time. “If you had waited a few more months, it would have turned into melanoma,” the doctor said. Funny, isn’t it, how our little feelings can unknowingly lead to life or death decisions? I cringe when I think about the “what if’s.” What if I had waited and not gotten checked? What if I had had no signs or symptoms to warn me? Then, the “would I’s” come to mind. Would I have had melanoma? Would I have had it advance to my lungs, brain, or other body part, as it is known to do?

In my family there happens to be a lot of cancer, but as far as I know, no skin cancer. I am now extremely cautious about being outdoors. I stopped going to the beach, I cover myself in sunscreen, and I avoid the sun whenever I have a choice. Seeing young women with their glowing tans during the winter months irks me. Even those in the health field seem oblivious to the warnings. I was receiving physical therapy for some injuries I sustained in a car accident and was surprised to see my therapist, in her twenties, greet me with a fully tanned body in April. I wanted to grab her and shake her and scream, “What the heck are you doing? You’re in the health field. Don’t you know you shouldn’t be tanning?” But I hesitated and nonchalantly mentioned my experience when it had come up in the course of conversation. “Yuh, I know. I suppose I shouldn’t,” she replied.

Young women. Tanned bodies. Some things will never change.
http://www.dermanetwork.org/news/news_details.asp?ID=550

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Here's a recent e-mail from a "Write Stuff" contestant.

Ms Erickson,

I have not even gotten to the point of chapters, but I can send you a few pages. I am interested in the coaching and the tips. Honestly, I know an English major who is willing to help me basically for free so you understand it is not a personal thing. I think your services are a great idea. Also if your a judge with the show, will that effect me? I am interested in your book about publishing. Let me know and I will e-mail you some of my book. I do value your opinion. I saw your You-tube submission and found it impressive. Thank you for your time.


Geremy Howard

Read This: From a LinkedIn Discussion Group

The 5 Signs That You Are Ready to Be the Go-To Expert in Your Field
Apologies for the article I posted this week as it had a faulty link…I was missing a letter at the end of the address!

So…. let's try this again! Many of you have asked for articles about how to become the go-to expert in your field, so here is one of the first to come your way!

The first article focuses on how to know if you are ready to become the go-to expert in your field in 5 simple steps. Please feel free to comment, discuss and share. http://tinyurl.com/5signsofcelebrity
Posted 23 hours ago | Reply Privately

Marsha Friedman
CEO, EMS Incorporated
See all Marsha’s discussions »
Comments (2)

I think it is important to examine how we define success. We may not be as wealthy or as prominent as political figures, but if we have earned the respect of others in our field and are sought after for advice, then we have succeeded in establishing our professional identity as a credible resource.

I have never been rich, but I am richly rewarded when a stranger remarks, "I've heard of you" or when a client takes the time to write a letter of gratitude for the services I have provided. I've kept a folder for the past two decades, which contains notes, newspaper clippings about my business, and other mementos associated with my writing or editing. More often than not, when I go through it every few years, I find news items or references to my accomplishments that I have totally forgotten about! I am humbled by others viewing me as an expert, but it's nice to earn such a reputation after all the hard work.

Donna Erickson Owner, A Flair For Writing
Senior Editor/Copartner for AG Press
Production Consultant/YouTube Judge for "The Write Stuff" reality series, CW Network
Editor, www.theauthorlist.com and "The Self-Published Author" E-zine
Staff Writer, "Poetic Monthly Magazine"
Author, "No-Hassle Publishing: An Author's Guide to Today's Changing Industry"
Posted 15 hours ago | Delete comment

Tiny Fisscher
writer of novels for children and teenagers, and non fiction about health, fitness and awareness for adults
I totally agree with Donna that we should examine how we define success. Poor Susan Boyl, who was launched into this so called 'success', and now what? And 'The four hour work week'? Good for him and clever title, but his secret is actually one word: delegate. I don't think the people who work for him have a four hour work week...
Fortunately I love my job as a writer, mustn't think of only four hours work a week. I feel very successful because of everything I achieved in my personal life ánd in my writing. Would love to have a huge international best seller though. Not to be famous, just to be able to keep on writing and never be in a situation again that I would have to do a job that I wouldn't even like to do for more than a couple of hours a week...

Tiny Fisscher, author of children- and teen books, author of non-fiction books about health, fitness and awareness for teens and adults.
Posted 8 hours ago | Reply Privately