October is Breast Cancer awareness month. And we strongly approve this message:
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It's been 2 years since my bout with melanoma, and last week held some promising news for future instances of the cancer, but in the meantime, I'm off to Cheraw to be with my family as my mom does battle with this formidable skin cancer for the second time in 17 years. She recently had a melanoma develop on her right arm (eerily close to the original tumor site 17 years ago) as well as two melanomas appear on her back, each shoulder blade respectively.
She's already had one set of surgery to remove the lesions from location but pathology reports that they didn't get clean enough margins from any of the cuts, which means they have to excise more from the regions of the incisions to make sure they get all of the cancerous cells. More problematic was the nature of the lesion on her arm, it was considerably more advanced than the lesions on her back - though admittedly the family hasn't revealed to what extent the cancer has been staged though mom insists that it's only stage two. Because of the severity of the cancer on her arm she'll have a Lymphadenectomy for the nodes under her right arm pit. It also appears that she'll have to go through a round or so of interferon. The second round of surgery happens tomorrow morning.
So say some prayers for the Mei family in the coming days as mom recovers and say a prayer for the promising new treatment in this cancer that it proves as successful as it promises and that we'll be able to implement it soon enough.
Two Year Anniversary….
The end of October is fast approaching and for me it means something quite a bit more than the fun of donning Halloween masks and trick-or-treating. For me it’s time to reflect and celebrate. Reflect that two years ago I was diagnosed with a deadly form of melanoma (Nodular Melanoma) and that through the skill and patience of doctors and the prayer and support of family and friends – despite my fears and worry I’m here to talk about it and can celebrate the fact that I’m still alive.
Along with the Melanoma diagnosis it’s apparent that I am my mother’s son and we share something in common – we both have atypical mole syndrome, which is a fancy way of saying that we have excessive amounts of moles covering our skin and that – shocker – we’re at higher risk for skin cancer (specifically melanomas) than most.
So today I went to the doctor for my yearly dermatological check up. The examination went without mention. I did ask the doctor to remove one mole on my heel that though not incredibly large was bi-colored, the center and left was a few shades darker than the rest of it. And the doctor did notice a mole on the sole of my left foot that though did not look necessarily suspicious, just because it was on the sole of my foot it was worth taking. This is a common place for melanomas amongst Blacks and Asians. I should find out if there was anything to concern about next week when the moles return from pathology. I share the optimism of my doctor that they're OK.
Right now though I'd like to celebrate, and to do that I’d like all my pastier (and not so pasty) friends to examine their skin. Take a look at your bodies and if you notice anything suspicious or noticeable, go to a doctor. Not sure what you’re looking for or at? Here’s a helpful guide put out by the National Institutes of Health. So that's what everyone can do this year to help me celebrate is ensure that you all are yourselves have healthy cancer free skin.
Well the cure for Cancer may have been discovered, and serendipitously that cure has at least two other possible uses. It looks like an intrepid scientist who decided to combat cancer, also discovered the next Eco friendly fuel - salt water.
Here's part of the AP story:
ERIE, Pa. (AP) — An Erie cancer researcher has found a way to burn salt water, a novel invention that is being touted by one chemist as the "most remarkable" water science discovery in a century. John Kanzius happened upon the discovery accidentally when he tried to desalinate seawater with a radio-frequency generator he developed to treat cancer. He discovered that as
long as the salt water was exposed to the radio frequencies, it would burn. The discovery has scientists excited by the prospect of using salt water, the most abundant resource on earth, as a fuel.
The radio frequencies act to weaken the bonds between the elements that make up salt water, releasing the hydrogen, Roy said. Once ignited, the hydrogen will burn as long as it is exposed to the frequencies, he said. The discovery is "the most remarkable in water science in 100 years," Roy said. "This is the most abundant element in the world. It is everywhere," Roy said.Gives him the chills, apparently the stuff burns at 3000 degrees Fahrenheit!
"Seeing it burn gives me the chills."
