My Brother's Story

by Tom
(Ft. Myers, FL, USA)

My brother died from a Malignant Melanoma in 2004. His started along the hairline behind one of his ears so it was difficult for him to spot.

His doctor noticed it after it had grown. He was admitted for Skin Cancer Reconstructive Surgery and had the mole and area around it removed.

It was much more difficult than an in-office procedure because of its size and location. The Skin Cancer Surgeon felt the cancer had been there for some time.

Living in a cloudy part of the USA, my brother was not in the sun much and wore hats anyway. But the location behind his ear was extremely problematic to protect and detect.

Unfortunately the surgery was not successful and he died a few months later.

My takeaways from this were to ensure I get checked, head to toe, much more frequently. I have the doctor examine my scalp each time as well.

No malignant Skin Cancer Cells have been found on me but I have had suspicious moles removed over the years that turned out to be benign.

With my family history, every time the doctor identifies something he wants to “check out”, I think about my brother.

If he had been more diligent and gone in for regular exams, would he still be with us?

Melanoma Skin Cancer

Malignant Melanoma Skin Cancer

Skin Cancer Melanoma

Skin Cancer Moles