Remembered Event

A mole is just another common mark on the body, which everyone has, so what’s the big deal, right? Well, some are just common markings, while others can be life threatening. My family learned this all too well back in February of 2014. It’s never a perfect visit to the dermatologist when you get a mole removed from your head, only to find out after testing that it was positive for melanoma. I remember a minor surgery was performed on the neck and two lymph nodes were removed to be tested. Great news everybody, they were found to be cancer free! Now, stop and think how many lymph nodes are in your body. After many doctor visits for what was thought to be a sinus infection, I can remember the look on my dad’s face when we were scheduled to have an ultrasound performed. We would later discover we were about to start yet another adventure. Soon, we would learn this one would be the worse yet. As the weeks passed, we received the news that this devastating form of cancer had returned. I had never dreamed that I would have to experience my own dad going through all this pain and suffering. It was something I had to quickly prepare for. In July of 2014, my dad had to undergo a surgery that left him with not only physical scars, but mental ones that would be twice as bad. During the procedure, I can remember the feelings of pain and anxiety that I had not knowing if this was ever going to end. I also wondered just how long my dad would be able to stay as strong as he had been this far. Once the two hour surgery was finished, I remember feeling a small bit of relief after hearing from the doctor that he had removed six additional lymph nodes in which four tested positive. The doctor explains to us just how Melanoma worked and that it could easily come back if the proper treatment was not given in a timely manner. As a family, we were encouraged to schedule a PET SCAN, which would scan the entire body to see if the cancer had spread from the head and neck region. I remember waiting for him to return to the recovery room. He opened his eyes for the first time and immediately asked “So how did it go and be honest”. I answered him with faith in my voice that I was assured things would start to look up and shared the results. After receiving thirty two stitches and spending an hour in recovery, we were on our way to a room where he would spend the next couple of days recovering. Three weeks later the moment came that I had to be by my dad’s side yet again to undergo the PET SCAN. We all hoped for the best results. When I was told the news, I had mixed emotions. No cancer has spread, but there was still cancer localized in the area of the neck surgery was performed, and lymph nodes were enlarged touching those in back of his head. This led to another surgery, which concluded with thirty six lymph nodes being removed. We would later find out that nine of those removed were positive. Radiation would be performed five days a week for six weeks. After those six weeks, chemo will be performed for one week during a six month time span. People always say “You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only option”, and this was just what I experienced. As the summer continued, I cleared my schedule and made more time to spend with my dad doing things he enjoyed. Having the father-daughter time that I remembered having as a kid was enough to make me realize how fast it could have been shortened or even gone. I believe sometimes the older a child gets, the less time they tend to make for priorities they once had. I feel this experience has brought us closer not only was he undergoing all of this, but because I felt the emotional pain just as he was. Knowing skin cancer is one of the most common cancers out there is a big scare itself, but knowing that I now have an even greater chance of developing it makes the scare greater. Taking preventive measures is a daily thing for me now. I used to go to the tanning bed quite often, but now I do my best to stay away from them. I also wear sunscreen when the sun is very strong. These preventive measures are simple to perform when it comes to the other traumatizing option at hand.