Lee Jordan .org.uk

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Full length interview broadcast on Radio Five Live at around 23:45 on Saturday 3rd June 2006.

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In this show I bring you up to speed with the main events which have happend since I left work, touching on a weekend of Glam Rock madness, how early detection is currently our only good weapon against deadly skin cancer and …… three incredible tracks these being as follows.

Music :

• Soft - Droppin’
• Julia Harris - These Days
• Brandon Patton - Thirty One Hundred Miles

A write up from Dave Jewel of the Sladefest2006 weekend is to be found at this link

Stay moleaware and find out how my Siascope demonstration went: moleAware.org. If you’d like more information about how technology which can see under the skin check out: Astron Clinica

My flickr account, with first @media2006 tag added to a photo of my train tickets

I really enjoyed getting back into the podcasting, it does take sometime to put together a show so please let me know what you think. Cheers, Lee

The weather recently has been far from sunny, however I just found this charming little story from England:

“‘Because I took my holidays in the UK, I would never have thought I was in a high risk category,’ said Lee Jordan, web designer. ‘I was shocked to discover how far the melanomas had progressed by the time the doctors looked at them. Young people in particular need to be aware that there is an easy way to get their skin checked for this most dangerous of diseases.’” Source

It’s then typical that the weather is rather wet and dull! But seriously the UV Index is creeping up, while focusing on sun protection for your summer holiday, bear in mind the dangers of the pub lunch, or the gardening, or the journey on the sunny side of a train, or chosing to wear shorts not jeans ….. and on and on. Then of course comes mole watch.

I’ve been booked in to two radio shows to talk about detecting skin cancer early. I’m on Nicky Campbells show in the morning (Tuesday) on Radio Five Live around 8:10am via Skype!! Before that I’m on BBC Hereford and Worcester at about 7:30am. Skype!

In a similar way to what happened when I was on Rem.fm (I couldn’t have made it to Spain in person), I’m also in hospital tommorrow, this is a routine nothing to worry about thing, but the two conflict by the smallest of margins.

My last post of the night; I just wanted to update on everything to do with the progress of my skin cancer. Recently I’ve had a few people asking me how things are going.

My MRI came back clean and things are looking ever more stable. My next Apt is March 29th. It still remains a bad prognosis at a stage where guidelines say no treatment, like Immunotherapy should be given.The only real thing I’m dealing with is a kick down in my immune system, It has been a winter where I have been hit by a few major viral bugs, personally I know dealing with day to day life sometimes drains my energy.

Living the life of an international superstar (ok nine-five web designer, who can’t type but who has cracking musical tastes) doesn’t leave me with enough me time, I do get me time, like going to gigs and doing stuff at weekends, but my view on a career isn’t what it used to be, because of what has happened.

Moles can do grow into your skin, unseen over many years even decades while you are young, unless someone knows the signs it could go undetected, and that’s a vital message that could get this cancer detected early but it goes unheard in favour of sunscreen. Can’t reverse time to when we were kids, no matter what, but we can let younger people share the benefits of our expereince.

Back to the hospital yesterday for an MRI of my left calf, the site of my off the scale tumor. First time is always scary, because of the unknowns. The scan would last 20 minutes! Ended up lasting longer than that.

With the scan finished I was seen by the consultant who said there was something showing in the skin layer … *gulp*. On further investigation it could be the scar tissue, but even so I was advised to call in over Christmas to see if I can get seen in the next few weeks to talk about results.

What I have to do is not worry about it until I’m back in the hospital, so on with Christmas. Easier said, but I feel very confident that I’ll be ok. I read that even if your faith is dented, as long as you have hope you’ll get your faith back with time.

I came across this rather interesting local radio show over the weekend, The Naked Scientists.

They mentioned Melanoma to an audience ….. bravo.
You can listen in on the relevant section in a snipet that I edited out: Get the vital audio clip from my site | Taken from show : 02/10/2005

DIAGNOSING SKIN CANCER WITH LIGHT

“So people have had skin cancers and it’s been overlooked? I think it’s important to say that this is something that we should be worried about right now. I think the cited figure is that there has been a 100% increase in melanoma rates in the past ten years. The whole emphasis is early diagnosis. If you have a funny looking mole that’s changing and itching, then go and see your doctor because early diagnosis is the key” Source

That’s what I’m talking about, that’s hitting the nail on the head and more people need to hear it! hence the reason why my little web project that I’m working on is so important.

Not much to report on the front line, to be honest for now Melanoma is letting me get on with things almost a year on. This time last year I was awaiting the very first biopsy results.

I have noticed a briuse appear very close to my less serious Melanoma site. Do you think I have the information, experience or opinion to know what that means? I’m forever changed. The whole thing has the potential of suddenly ending, without good reason or obvious symptoms. I don’t think the s**t has started hitting the fan with my cancer yet, as they say one year down four more to go.

The year has ticked by and stories such as that of Alex Lines have filled my screen, headlines of 23 year olds being killed by this cancer. I just have the urge to use my time to educate my peers. Young adults need to be told about skin cancer detection, because as children they already knew about prevention. I knew about prevention, somehow things aren’t fair. Young people aren’t aware of the danger signs, I wasn’t when I was a teenager, I wish I was.

“Women told to spend more time in sun” Source

My fear is that young women take that as a licence to tan to stay healthy, when in fact this story at least points to the benefits of Vitamin D for older women to keep good bone strength. Such advice should always come with “15 minutes a day is enough sunshine”.

Vitamin D production effectivley slows down as we move into the Winter months. Hence it may be worth kicking up moleAware messages during the winter months to keep a sustained awarness throughout the year, summer goes away but skin cancer I assure you doesn’t take a winter break.

If you are concerned by a lack of Vitamin D do not seek it from winter holidays or tanning salons, the risk of one of the most malignant forms of cancer certainly doesn’t outweigh the benefit.

The article also talks of people who mainly stay indoors and it is this group that are more prone to intermitent sun exposure related to Melanoma. At the end of the day, do what works for you but please read such articles as being advice that may lead to an even higher risk of Melanoma if your risk factors are already sky high.

The artilce is here

We know about the dangers of the sun, we are still too blind to the after effects of the sun, untill that changes people will die, come on Europe, top the Software Patent rejection, do this for us! Focus on Intermittent exposure, sun bathers or people always in the sun don’t die from the sun.

In all seriousness I hope this gets passed, although I’m in two minds because chronic and ridiculous over exposure to the sun will not kill you, which is why I hate saftey advice to sun bathers. Yeah Basel Cell is still skin cancer but it’s a whole lot better than Melanoma skin cancer, which is the worst type of skin cancer you can get. Intermitent exposure should be considered more important in helping reduce death by sun.

“Bristish builders could be forced to cover their reddened torsos if a proposed European directive aimed at protecting workers from exposure to sunlight is passed this week”

Ho hum. Can we extend this to truck drivers or long distance drivers?

“Employers have warned that such a “tan ban” could oblige them to issue sun lotion or baseball caps to builders and others who work outside, or risk possible lawsuits if they contract skin cancers or other conditions related to exposure to sunlight.”

Here here, put health before profit you misserble gits!

“Liz Lynne, a Liberal Democrat MEP and fellow critic, agreed. “It is no business of the EU to decide whether a worker can be bare-chested or wear shorts,” she said”

Whoever said the LibDems were a force for good can now eat their words. I didn’t get a great repsone from her on Software Patents and this is another example of people “not getting it”.