The Last Hoorah with a Little Melanoma

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting on my couch watching the news. One of the news stories was discussing the rise of melanoma in people, particularly young people. One strong link to the rise in melanoma was the use of tanning beds. I thought it was an interesting and logical point. When I got the assignment prompt for our final essay, this topic immediately popped into my mind.

Melanoma has hit home a couple of times for me. One of my friends from work was diagnosed with melanoma in her mid 20's. She had caught it quickly enough that she got it all removed without any negative effects. My grandfather also had melanoma, but he wasn't as lucky. His was not caught fast enough and it spread to his bones. Melanoma ultimately took his life. I also have had a strange mole removed. It occured a  few years ago when I was sitting at work and my arm itched. It felt like a bug had bitten me. I looked at my arm, and I was itching a mole. I looked at it closer and it was a little raised and had irregular margins. I immediately made an appointment with my doctor and she suggested we biopsy it and have it removed. 15 minutes and 2 stitches later I was done with my appointment. The only thing I had to wait on was the biopsy results which came back a week or so later. The results showed the mole to be negative but with abnormal characteristics. This basically meant if left to its own devices, God only knows what that mole would have morphed into.

Melanoma. Look what tanning beds can cause.

Because tanning beds are used quite frequently by young people under 18 and the risk of developing kin scancer by those that use them, I would like to see them banned for anybody under 18 across the board. I did some research and some states allow kids 16 and over to use tanning beds with a parent's permission. Other states have an age limit of 17. I think all tanning beds should be banned for those under 18. Period. In my mind tanning beds are as dangerous as cigarrette smoking. Both cause cancer, and neither should be available to minors.

This paper is the only other research paper I will have under my belt. I wrote one eons ago (1995) in high school. I have definitely had to dig into the depths of my brain to remember how to cite sources. However, I am confident our class has been given the resources to be successful in writing this research paper. One last push and we will be finished!

There's No Escaping "The Glass Castle"

The book, The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls is a stark look at Jeannette's childhood growing up. Growing up, Jeannette lived with her mother, father, and three siblings. Her mother was mentally ill and could not keep, or most times, even want a job. Her mother was an schoolteacher by trade and she was also an artist who really took the term "starving artist" to a whole new level. She rarely put forth any effort as an artist. Instead she would dream her days away or make excuses as to why she was not practicing her art or teaching in the local schools. Her father wasn't much better; he was an alcoholic who could not keep a job.

For readers looking for a happy escape, this book is not for them. Jeannette takes a real, sometimes sad, and often infuriating look at what life was like for her and her siblings growing up. From her young years growing up in the Southwest United States to finally moving and settling down in Welch, West Virgina, the Walls family had many adventures along the way. Maybe because of commitment and love of family, the Walls children suffered through poverty, drunkenness, sexual abuse, and overall neglect. This book is a definitely a real look at a not-so functional family and how they work together to try and keep their family unit alive.