Articles

When I was dating, I often tried to hide my left hand under the table when we were sitting at a restaurant or in other places. The hands are a...

We asked the community to give melanoma a piece of their mind. We had tons of responses from members sending their "Dear Melanoma ___" messages. The biggest takeaway: survivors and...

Thanks to Hulu, I am having a moment. It’s not the kind of moment you have when you get teary over a Kate Winslet movie. I’m not even talking about...

A while ago, when someone who knew I had had skin cancer asked me how I was, I said I was clear…for now. But I said I knew that I...

After having melanoma I’ve become extra vigilant about skincare. My skin is naturally very dry, bordering on reptilian in winter. So if I must slather myself daily in sunscreen it's...

The other day, I almost forgot to practice what I preach. Well, technically, I didn’t actually forget but I allowed a doctor’s office staff member to dismiss my concern when I...

I’ve had skin cancer for over 24 years. Almost all of my cancerous areas have been basal cell carcinomas, with a few squamous cell carcinomas, and most of my basal...

Sunscreen is a part of my skincare routine 365 days a year. There was a time, however, when SPF was the furthest thing from my mind and not in any...

I asked my wife, Kathy Matheny for her thoughts on being the spouse of a melanoma victor. Here is what she wrote. Two heads are better than one. Four ears...

New experiences usually bring about a case of the jitters. When it comes to our health, however, new and uncomfortable experiences, treatment plans, and doctor changes can wreak havoc on...

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” - Ben Franklin I grew up in a time and place where no guy I ever knew discussed skincare products. We...

Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” is about threats to the environment, but you can apply some of the lyrics to a range of losses in life. Specifically, I’m thinking of...

The summer of 2019 was--and remains in sweltering southwest Tennessee--a difficult one for this skin cancer patient. I’ve been debating about chalking it up to a seven-year-itch type situation. It’s...

Family 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...

Typically, 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...

Talking 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...

I 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...

EXT: 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...

It’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...

Play 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...