Interesting
times. Challenging times. Uncertain times. Horrible times. Times we will never
forget. Everyone will have their personal way of documenting this period of our
lives. It would be nice to put COVID-19 into a locked box and throw it into the
ocean abyss, that bottomless portion of the ocean that remains in perpetual
darkness. This virus, and all that has come with it, has been a darkness for humanity.
These are times we hope to never see again. Unfortunately, science tells us
otherwise.
I sometimes
plan my blogs a couple of months in advance. This month was going to be about
melanoma and skin cancer detection, along with sun safe behaviors. After all,
May is melanoma and skin cancer detection and prevention month. Ah, good times
when we could talk about things like that. I’m longing for the past and I’m
yearning for a future that includes doing things with my family and friends and
going on vacation again. I had to cancel a Mexico vacation that I was greatly
looking forward to. You see, I love laying and walking on the beach, listening
to the waves, swimming in the surf, sipping a margarita under a palapa, and
eating my favorite Mexican food. It was depressing to cancel the trip, but
fortunately I didn’t lose any money and was able to get eCredit for my plane
tickets. The wonderful resort in Mexico that I love gave me my deposit back and
I will return there when it is safe. For what so many other people have gone
through, my trip longing is selfish. I have family members going to the
hospital every day, working in horrendous circumstances, hoping they don’t
catch the invisible evil or bring it home. I have family members and friends
who went through the virus, some easier than others. I listen to the news every
day and I pray for our collective health as a country and world.
Where do we
go from here? Some of our states have started opening in what we hope is a slow
and measured way with attention paid to science. We hope there is no upswing in
cases and deaths as the states open. We hope for more testing to see where the
virus has been and where it is going. We hope for a vaccine or other treatment
that prevents or makes the worse symptoms less horrendous. We all long for some
normalcy to our lives.
Keeping that
in mind, I will end my blog with a bit of normalcy about my planned subject for
the May blog. Let’s not forget that May is melanoma and skin cancer detection
and prevention month. After all, our weather is on the upswing and we now have
more sunny days. The link below has some great information on how to do skin
self-exams, the health benefits of safe sun protection and best practices.
Who loves
the sun? Not everyone, as Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground so aptly sang
back in the day. But for me, I am a sun lover. Give me a warm, sunny day, any
day. And get me back on that Mexico beach under a palapa with sunscreen, cute
hat and sunglasses as safely and quickly as possible.
Content by Carla Irvin, BSN
