Indelible Adventures: Ravaged...

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Since being home in Australia the realization of the pervasiveness of the risk and dangers of skin cancer has really hit home as both my brother, James and my best friend Craig have had a number of basal cell carcinomas removed this past week.

My brother has an eight stitch wound on his right cheek after getting one large one removed, and Craig had two removed – one on his forehead and the other on his wrist, with the one on his wrist getting infected and so now having to

Over the years I’ve had nine basal cell carcinomas removed from various parts of my body. Surprisingly I had one on my neck removed three times, with successively larger amounts of skin and flesh being taken to ensure they got it all, after it came back on the fringes of the scar on two occasions. Then three more on my stomach and three on my back…

Without a doubt the skin cancer problems that we now have definitely dates back to our childhood when we didn’t understand the long term damage caused by the sun. In those days no one ever talked of skin cancer or melanomas and there was zero awareness or education provided about this form or cancer. No it truly was a simpler and more naïve time when it came to the understanding and management of long-term health risks.

Although you know this already but here are a few reminders about sun management that I’ve taught the kids, and that we all can benefit from:

Indelible Tip #1: Slip – Slop – Slap – Seek – Slide Slip on some protective clothing, slap on some high broad spectrum, water resistant SPF30+ (or higher) sunscreen. Put it on 20 minutes before you go outdoors and every two hours afterwards. Avoid using sunscreen to extend the time you spend in the sun. Slap on a broad brimmed hat, one that protects your face, neck and ears. Seek shade and slide on some sunglasses that meet UV approved standards.

However, looking back even if we did have more information and awareness about skin cancers we couldn’t afford sunscreen. Sunscreen was considered a luxury that only the rich could afford and so at the start of each summer we strip off to our shorts or bathing suits as soon as the weather got reasonably warm in the hops of getting a good burn.

After a few burns, our skin would inevitably blister and then peel, leaving a browner layer on which to burn more until we were the color of tanned leather. I don’t know a kid in our town who didn’t do it the same way.

My fathers response to sunburn, especially the first good burn of the year was to have a scalding hot shower, as hot as we could stand it with his theory being that we could neutralize the burn by burning it again with hot water…

All I know is that both the sunburn and the scalding hot shower were ubiquitous with the start of summer and incredibly painful. Somehow we kids convinced ourselves that the boiling hot shower worked, after all my dad did exactly what we did and burned to a crisp each summer then worked outside without a shirt for the remainder of the summer, obtaining burn upon burn.

Indelible Tip #2: Simple sunburn reminders (1) Act Quickly - If you feel the tale-tell tingling of a burn or see any sign of skin reddening on yourself or your child, get out of the sun and start treatment. "Sunburn tends to sneak up on us. (2) Moisturize – After a cool shower or bath, slather on a moisturizing cream or lotion to soothe the skin. Repeat frequently to make peeling and flaking less noticeable. And consider a product containing vitamin C and vitamin E. (3) Hydrate – Any burn draws fluid to the skin surface and away from the rest of the body so intake more water and fluids into your body, before, during and after sun.

I think the worst sunburn I had was after a summer of working on a farm without a shirt, and already quite brown (getting at least 8 – 10 hours of hot summer sun while working outdoors) thought I didn’t need sunscreen when I moved to Darwin. As you may know, Darwin is in the tropics and relatively close to the equator so the sun is exceptionally hot.

I went to the beach for two hours without sunscreen and ended up that night with massive water blisters all over my body because of the extreme sunburn. The worst and most painful of all was my water-blistered eyelids – oh yeah that was by far and away the worst sunburn I ever endured. It was as if someone had microwaved my body it was redder than a lobster and on top of what I thought was brown suntanned skin… Not so much!

Indelible Tip #3: Annual check ups Each year I ask my doctor to check my skin for unusual looking moles, blemishes and marks when I have my annual physical. Its been during this routine check ups that they've found the early signs and sent me to a dermatologist for removal and treatment of these skin cancer cells. I would definitely recommend that you ask your doctor to take a detailed look on your next visit!

It wasn’t until I was an adult that the medical community began voicing its concern about the long term effects of the sun on your skin and undertook a series of ongoing campaigns to help educate everyone about the dangers.

Now all schools in Australia limit the amount of time kids spend outside in the sun, as well as making it mandatory for all elementary/primary school children to wear a hat, sunscreen, and long sleeves whenever outside – all year round.

In addition, there are ongoing television, newspaper and social media campaigns that target the dangers, effects and effective management of the sun in Australia all the time – and with good reason!

Some startling statistics:

Skin cancer is the most common cause of cancer in Australia and accounts for 80% of all cancer diagnosed.
Australia has the rate of skin cancer is the highest in the world which equates into almost half a million Australians being diagnosed each year with skin cancer a rate which is three times higher than the rates in the UK, Canada and the US.
Two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the time they are 70…

These staggering facts are completely preventable, and it starts with our kids.

Fortunately I’ve been a huge advocate of sun management with Zach and Sami from when they were babies, using and encouraging the use of sunscreen on a regular basis even for day to day use, not just in the summer.

A reminder for us all!

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“Hanoi Posting”

A series of fictional micro-stories by Terence Wallis

Episode 37: Hostage

Monday dawned like any other with Bill walking towards the Star Cafe through the crowded streets and alleyways of the Old Quarter, the noise, humidity and throng of scooters had become his second home. He loved the grittiness of his life in Hanoi, and the juxtaposition of its innate beauty. As he walked he could see through the limbs of the overhanging Banyan trees that the sky was transforming into the dark and leaden form which occurred each afternoon right before the torrential downpour and the respite from the tense humidity.

He began to hear the first heavy drops on the leaves above him and so instinctively stepped under an awning. He hadn't seen the shadowed form of the two men standing deep inside the darkly lite store front nor felt the blow that rendered him unconscious.

Bill's head ached as he slowly became aware of where he was, or where he wasn't to be more precise. He wasn't able to remember much about anything as his brain felt completely muddled. He tried to open his eyes, but realized that he had something over his head which felt like a cloth or bag of some sort. His hands and feet were tightly bound behind his back and he was lying on his side on a cold floor.

What the bloody hell was going on he thought as his mind began to regain some semblance of order and understanding to his predicament. He could hear the muffled sound of voices nearby but couldn't decipher what they were saying. He wondered how long he'd been here? And why he'd been trust up like a pig and left on the floor.

His first thought was to yell, but soon thought better of it. Although never being in a situation like this before, he sensed that this was more than a simple scare tactic and that if he knew what was good for him he needed to remain silent as though he was still unconscious and try and glean what information he could.

The ropes on his hands and feet were cutting into his wrists and feet and so uncomfortably tight. His mouth dry with the lingering taste of blood and wondered if the wound on his head had been reopened, it sure felt like it from the blinding pain that emanated from his head... His mind raced as he tried to remember his last conscious thought before he found himself here.

A deep fear began to build...