Free Sunscreen HereFamily picnic, a day at the beach, golf outing, ballgame, you’re there, it’s hot, you’re roasting and you forgot to lather up in SPF50. Maybe you ran out of sunscreen...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
When Good News Isn't Great NewsTypically, receiving good news can make us feel great. Ecstatic, even. Like all is right in our world. But there are other times that receiving good news doesn’t always make...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments
A Talk With My DocTalking today with Robert J. Kaplan, MD, my dermatologist. Dr. Kaplan is in private practice in Memphis, Tennessee and currently treats me for a skin ailment (side effect) caused by...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Getting Through The Days Before My Full Body Skin CheckI woke up this morning with a sick feeling in my stomach. I didn’t have any other symptoms-no fever, no body aches, no sore throat. I thought about it for a few...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
Melanoma Movie Mind GameEXT: the three letters that I did not want to see. In the film business, this means that the scene is an exterior shot. It’s filmed outside...in the sun. EXT...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Letdowns, Letters, and Blood DonationsIt’s 2019, and receiving mail isn’t nearly the event it was when most of us were kids. Remember waiting anxiously on a letter from a friend? How vividly do you...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
Playing Tennis in the SunPlay in the sun on better courts, or play in the shade on less desirable ones? Controversy has consumed our Monday tennis group. One wants to play in the shade...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Rick Simpson Oil: What is it and How is it Used?If you’re familiar with medical marijuana, then you’ve likely heard of RSO, or Rick Simpson Oil. Yet, for those who aren’t into medical marijuana and its benefits, it is probably...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Delaying Treatment, With My Doctor's PermissionAt the end of June, I had my six-month skin check with my dermatologist, Dr. Keller. I had a small area on my face that my doctor wanted to treat...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Scott's Survival Tips for the Absent-MindedIt’s 7:30am and you overslept again. You scramble and remember that it’s casual Friday and you can wear shorts and a short-sleeved shirt and you do. You find your keys...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The "New Normal:" When the Battle Armor Comes OffMy “new normal,” a phrase often used in cancer circles to describe life in survivorship, completely took me by surprise when I exited treatment. It happened both times I experienced cancer! I...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Sun Protection Gloves Have a Mind of Their OwnIf you use hair ties, you might have the same problem with them that I have. They seem to disappear. As many times as I buy a colorful package of...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Sandcastles, Sunburns, and SermonsFlashback to the summer of 1985: the Florida sun is bright, the beach is calling, and our family vacation is in full swing. My sister and I are spending the...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Safe DrivingIt’s that time of the year for many of us in the snow belt. It’s classic car show time. Mustangs, T-Birds, expensive imports, all varieties of convertible leave the hibernation...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
My Melanoma Experience: A Look BackIn 1988, I was diagnosed with melanoma. I had just returned from a year of working in London right after finishing my college degree in Los Angeles. I had thought...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
A Look BackAt a conference in late August, I was asked by a colleague about my Stage IV melanoma diagnosis. He was surprised, maybe a little dismayed, by the calm and almost...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
T-VEC Immunotherapy for Metastatic MelanomaT-VEC is an immunotherapy cancer treatment that is injected directly into melanoma tumor sites to destroy cancer cells. The brand name is Imlygic, and the generic name is talimogene laherparepvec...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Sunscreen Season?There is finally a light at the end of the tunnel of steamy, summery heat and humidity. September is here, and we can all, literally, breathe a little easier. Fall...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Sunburn Walk of ShameI have the gift of gab. And I absolutely adore my next-door neighbor. Those two things combined led to an unexpected (and unwelcome) result for me recently. It was a...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Melanoma Detection Breakthrough?“They can put a man on the moon, but they can’t…” You fill in the blank. Ever since Neil Armstrong made that “giant leap for mankind” we have been comparing...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments