Monday morning of finals week found me in need of motivational speaker to drag me out of bed. But the week I have been dreading has managed to redeem itself. Yesterday I took my son to UWGB to take an AP Psychology exam to test for college credit, and found out the fee had been mysteriously paid in full. Then, when I got home, there was a large envelope in the mail from the State of Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, which put the fear of God in me. I opened it up to find my certification showing I have been commissioned as a Notary Public. Which put another smile on my face. Tuesday - today - still in need of a motivational speaker to get me going came in the form of a text from a dear friend, who goes to work at some ridiculously early hour, and forgot her wallet at home. This was a blessing, giving me purpose to get out of bed, clean myself up, and take a drive to drop off a few dollars for her. I often tell my best friends that I will go to the ends of the Earth for them, but in this case the "ends of the Earth" simply meant De Pere. And to put the frosting on the cupcake of my morning, I just went into blackboard to check my grades to see a note in my Legal Writing course (which I took online, against the advice of many in my program) which stated "Congratulations, you earned an A in this course!" It might turn out to be the best week ever if I ace my Employment Law exam this afternoon and Civil Lit exam tomorrow. Because by noon tomorrow - boom goes the dynamite - marking the end of another successful semester in the Paralegal Program at NWTC!!
Now that the semester is almost over, the sun has been shining and summer is almost upon us. So I would like to end this blog post on a more serious note. May is Melanoma/Skin Cancer Awareness month. Thirteen years ago, in May of 1999, I went to the dermatologist to have a large black mole removed from my back, as I was getting married that August and for purposes of absolute vanity, wanted the hideous mole removed so everyone would not be staring at it as I stood at the altar on the big day. My visit to the dermatologist that day was perhaps the most frightening day of my life, as he told me that he didn't need a biopsy to tell him the mole was cancerous, Melanoma, one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer. The biopsy came back to show that the melanoma was just shy of a depth that might spread, however, for precautionary purposes, I would have to undergo surgery to remove all of the skin an inch in diameter around the site of the mole. A week later, a plastic surgeon removed a large mass of skin, an inch deep and in diameter from my upper back. Rather than do a skin graft, he did a "Z" type cut and since I was still in my 20's with elasticity in my skin, he was able to pull it together. Thirteen years later, the scar has not faded much and the nerve endings in the area of the scar are dead. However, I am thankful to be alive. I would just like to take this opportunity to remind everyone out there to enjoy the sun this summer, but make sure you are applying sunscreen. The number on the SPF will tell you how long it will last. An SPF 50 lasts five times longer than an SPF 10. Many of us have the misconception that the higher the SPF, the less of a tan we will get. You still get the same amount of sun, you are just protected longer, and have to reapply less. There are so many good sunscreens out there which are worth the extra money you will pay for them. If you can find one with Titanium Dioxide in it, this will protect you from the sun's harmful rays, and you will still get a golden healthy tan. That golden color is GOOD, a burn is BAD. Just one bad sunburn could cause melanoma, so enjoy the sun, but protect your skin!!!
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