Close Encounters of the Cancerous Kind

by Clem
(Eugene, OR, USA)

Almost every male in my family has had Skin Cancer at one point or another in their lives.

Luckily they all caught it and had it taken care of before it was too late, but the fear still exists and is still very real.

My whole live I've been careful about sun exposure, making sure to always wear sunscreen or proper sun protection clothing when I go out, all so that I wouldn't have to go through the same experience my father, uncles, and grandfathers did.

Sometimes all the planning in the world can fail, and my heart sank when I discovered that a mole I'd had for years had, within a very short time, increased greatly in size.

I made sure to contact my doctor and get a referral for a dermatologist immediately, and soon enough I found myself in the doctor's office.

Those few minutes waiting for the nurse to call me in seemed like the longest of my life, as I'm sure anyone else who has been through the same situation can attest to.

After what seemed like ages she finally called me in, asked some preliminary questions, and sent for the doctor.

The doctor came in and, after examining me, decided to go through the procedure to remove the mole. He did, and sent me home to wait on a phone call no more reassured than I had been upon entering the office.

That week passed by in a crawl, but when I finally got the call from the doctor it was good news. I didn't have cancer, and the mole was merely a benign growth.

I haven't been so relieved in my entire life to hear the news, and that night I went out to celebrate.

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