With summer in full swing, I have a couple of reminders about safety. These are not new messages but ones that resonate with me because of personal experiences.
Be careful of thunderstorms. Remember, lightning can strike ten miles away from where you hear thunder. I witnessed this one afternoon after a brief thunderstorm that moved quickly through the area. When we thought it was gone, lightning struck a tree beside our house. You can read about the details here. We were very happy that no one was hurt, although Theo felt a tingling go through his arm, and many things in our house got fried.
Wear Sunscreen and have regular dermatologist visits. A close friend was recently diagnosed with melanoma. Luckily, it was in situ (hadn't spread into her body), but from under the one little red spot that was visible on her cheek, it had spread from ear to nose and up to her eyelids. Removing the cancerous cells was a painful, involved ordeal, but luckily, she's going to be okay. She had regular checks with the dermatologist, so the melanoma was caught just in the nick of time. If she hadn't been vigilant about keeping appointments, hers would be an entirely different story. And if sunscreen had been around when we were kids, she might not have had this problem at all. (BTW, there's a lot of misinformation going around about the safety of sunscreen. Talk to your doctor to get the real facts.)
There are many more ways that we need to be careful with summer activities, but those are my warnings for today.
Now, go have fun - Safely!
Until next time...
That lightning strike sounds scary. What a thing to happen...and yet we know it happens frequently.
ReplyDeleteAs for the dermatologist, you are right. I got checked a couple years ago, but will make an appointment soon. Larry already has skin cancer and it is still a struggle to get him to use sunscreen or cover up when outside.
Sunscreen can seem like a hassle, but it saves lives. My first choice is to cover up with a shirt and hat, but that's not always an option. I'm trying to get better with my habits and use sunscreen religiously. It's a work in progress, but I am making progress.
DeleteI have never heard anything like that lightning strike. It was almost deafening. I was already cautious with thunderstorms, and I thought it was probably okay to go out that day before it struck. Now I know better.
Yikes on your friends melanoma and the near miss lightning strike. That is terrifying!@
ReplyDeleteBoth of these events shook me up, to say the least.
DeleteThank you for the public service safety announcements! They are important reminders!
ReplyDeleteThis advice has been around for a long time, but I don't think it hurts to hear it again.
DeleteIt amazes me how many people don't use sunscreen. I keep a bottle in the car this time of year.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your friend is going to be okay.
I don't have a bottle in the car, but I need to put one in. Thanks for the reminder.
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