The allure of Natural blinds.
“Whereas 10 years ago the risk of developing melanoma was one in 250, today the risk of people getting melanoma is about one in 70.” – Bruce Katz
I couldn’t believe my ears when my best friend Rose told me that her husband Gary was diagnosed with Melanoma stage III. The rugged farmer looked anything but sick with his strong physique and tanned skin that oozed a healthy glow. In south Ohio we have lot of sun and we love sun. He belonged to the group of people who did not give a damn to the sun or UV rays because he never believed this source of life could actually cause something like cancer. He went about doing his work and enjoying the outdoors, whether it was sunny, windy or rainy. It is not just Gary who believes that sunlight is healthy. My mom and dad also carry the notion that sunlight and tanning is healthy, and they’ve been lucky to get away it so far. Unfortunately, I realized late in my life that exposure to sunlight and harsh UV rays increases the risk of skin cancer. Today, with the rise in the occurrence of skin cancer in the United States, it accounts for nearly half of all cancers detected. Melanoma, the most serious of all skin cancers, its seem every year approximately 77,000 cases are diagnosed in United States.
The statistics did not allow me to ignore the risk exposure to the sun would pose for my family. I decided to change my lifestyle to bring down the risk of Melanoma or any other health hazards that may harm my loved ones. When I told Mike about my decision, he laughed out loud because he did not take me seriously. I told him about Gary and his diagnosis but for Mike, cancer was something that always happened to other people. How we like to live in this bubble of false faith! It was time to shake my better half up because I wanted nothing less than the best for my three girls. Once I convinced Mike to do some online research about Melanoma, there was no looking back for him. His bubble had burst, and he decided to join me in protecting our home against carcinogenic products.
First we sat our three girls down for a talk, though there was nothing much the 3-year-old Melanie could understand. I explained to them that the skin, being the largest organ of our body, works as a soldier fighting on the front. It protects all our other organs. We should care for it and protect it from harsh sunlight. I taught them the shadow rule – that is never to be out in sun when their shadow was shorter than them.
We found clothes that would cover them safely from the sunrays without making them feel hot. We also bought hats, sunscreen and sunglasses for further protection from harsh sunlight when we had to be out in open.
The sheer curtains on our windows let in sunlight, providing just a minimal protection for our home. We decided to cover them with more protective window treatments to cut out any risk exposure to sunlight would pose for us.
Considering the style of our home, its enormous size, and our budget, we decided to opt for natural shades and blinds for our windows. The natural color and texture of natural window treatments went down very well with our interior decor and also the outdoors. It was as though we were extending the love and friendliness of nature into our home.
Being shaken from the recent information we had gathered online about the risk of cancer, the natural blinds and shades gave us the much-needed comfort and assurance. They are pure and safe since the materials that go into their production are nothing but bamboo, wood planks, grass, reeds, woven woods, and jute. We were pleased with the earthly essence of natural blinds which charmed us with its unique architecture that gave them a natural appearance.
We looked into Natural Woven Blinds, an eco-friendly window treatment made from natural elements and having a dense structure, that provide much-needed privacy for bedrooms and nursery. The visual appeal of these window coverings was very persuasive with its elegant style that imitated the Roman shades. We can raise them into neat folds to let the sunshine in when needed. We decided to opt for it for our children’s room as well.
Our living room was large and very spacious. We did not want anything that would make it appear big, dark and ugly. The best option we had was Graber’s Tradewinds Natural Woven Shades, made from nature’s renewable resources like bamboo reeds, silt bamboo, sisal bamboo and other natural elements. They added a casual look to our interiors, blending in well with our priceless antique furniture of the living room. The cordless option was an added bonus for us.
The shades illuminated our living room with a beautiful ambiance of natural diffused light that enhanced the beauty of many other interior elements. Though we had the option to use a privacy liner, we decided to wait and see whether we would require it or not.
Once we learned the importance of taking precautions for the prevention of skin cancer, we started sporting the black ribbon on our car and other vehicles. When questioned, we do not hesitate to spread awareness. It is never too late to take the right steps and make a few lifestyle changes to be on the safe side. Just because our parents did not bother to protect themselves from sun and got away without being touched by cancer doesn’t mean we would be lucky as well. Like Jodi Rell rightly said, “At the end of the day, the goals are simple: safety and security.”
