I can't ever remember laying out in the Sun to get a tan, but most of my life I both worked and played outdoors at least part of the day, and when warm my usual uniform was shorts and a t shirt. I never was real big about smearing stuff all over my skin, so I didn't do the SPF thing. I wish I had. Found out I have "Merkle Cell Carcinoma" today. I had a lump (all the Docs said it was a cyst) just below my elbow. I've had it for over 10 years, and it never hurt, didn't cause any restriction, a big nothing, just a goofy thing that scared small kids. Nobody, even the Dermatologist suggested cutting it off. In January it doubled in size, and grew a big red bulb in the center of it. I took that to the Doc right away, he quickly did a "punch biopsy" and sent it off. Results came back today.
Unless I am real unlucky with as quick as we started on it, I'll be fine, but it's the fifth kind of cancerous crap they have had to carve off of me because I didn't SPF, or so the books say. Also found out I have a smallish blocked vessel in my heart thanks to eating whatever I wanted all those years, and smoking like a chimney. It was a crappy day medical wise.
Neither will likely kill me, just cost a ton of cash to treat, and for sure keep me out of the shop for a bunch more time. It's hard to spend time in the shop, when you are at a bunch of Doctors, and Hospitals all the time trying to treat the crap trying to kill ya.
I agree Larry, so many sad tales follow that Nicotine trail, but having quit twice in my life I can tell you stopping eating, drinking, or whatever, is cake next to stopping cigs. That Nicotine is one addictive SOB. Now I have heart disease with a big scar on my chest, almost just lost my right leg last month, COPD, and probably a bunch of other crap I don't know I have yet, mostly directly attributed to my 42 years of smoking. Yes I was a dumazz. Started young, thought I was so cool. Ran with the wrong kids, I always swore it was about who you ran with. A bunch of kids who didn't smoke, and you didn't. Of course all my friends were dumb like me, and smoked. 2 of them are dead from it, and many of their parents are too.
Please people take care of yourselves, it's for sure nobody else will do it for you. Well maybe a good Wife, or Family, but they can only suggest, you have to listen.
The "message" may be too late for a lot of our friends here. My hope is some of the younger ones read this and take heart.