skin cancer – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

Skin Check

May 22, 2025May 21, 2025 Posted in Alzheimer's, assisted living home, balance, biopsy, cancer, dancing, doctor, dogs, falling, melanoma, memoir, Mohs, mole, skin, skin cancer, surgeon, walker, ZumbaLeave a comment

(re-run) “Good job!” the physician’s assistant said when I complained about my uneven fake tan. “It’s been a lifestyle change for me, staying out of the sun,” I said. “I’m proud of you,” Miss Tan said. She looked at the four spots I was worried about, froze off the two on my back, biopsied one… Continue reading Skin Check

Bad Luck Comes in Threes

May 18, 2025May 17, 2025 Posted in bad luck, cancer, eye llid, memoir, Mohs, plumber, rats, rodents, skin cancer, water leakLeave a comment

(re-run) The first bad luck, or maybe good luck depending on how you look at it, was me finding out that the colorless bump above my eyelid turned out to be nodular basal cell carcinoma. The Mohs surgery went well, and I’ll be able to change the bandage and take a shower by the time… Continue reading Bad Luck Comes in Threes

Dancing, Diversity, and a Mole

February 20, 2025February 19, 2025 Posted in California, culture, dancing, diversity, Mare Island, melanoma, memoir, mole, skin cancer, Vallejo, winery, Wobble, Zumba1 Comment

When you live in a lily-white suburban town like I do, it’s good to get out of it and see how diverse our country is becoming. Duh. It’s California. After a summer of dancing in other lily-white towns (Clayton, Alamo, Moraga) it ‘s nice to be with other cultures, races, skin tones, whatever you want… Continue reading Dancing, Diversity, and a Mole

Dancing, Diversity, and a Mole

June 15, 2024June 14, 2024 Posted in California, culture, dancing, diversity, Mare Island, melanoma, memoir, mole, skin cancer, Vallejo, winery, Wobble, ZumbaLeave a comment

(re-run) When you live in a lily-white suburban town like I do, it’s good to get out of it now and then to see how diverse our country is becoming. Duh. It’s California. After a summer of dancing in other lily-white towns (Clayton, Alamo, Moraga) it ‘s nice to be with other cultures, races, skin… Continue reading Dancing, Diversity, and a Mole

Payback Time

June 5, 2024June 4, 2024 Posted in biopsy, California, dermatologist, memoir, Mexico, mole, skin cancer, sun tan, sunburn, sunshine, travel, VenezuelaLeave a comment

All those summer days as a child, running the neighborhood with the other kids, walking to the drug store with a few pennies to buy candy, riding bikes to the corn fields and back to visit the horses nearby . . . and now skin cancer. Not once, not twice, but three surgeries in. I… Continue reading Payback Time

Melanoma and Me

May 10, 2021May 9, 2021 Posted in biopsy, California, cancer, Carmel, dermatologist, equator, melanoma, memoir, skin, skin cancer, sunburn, surgery, UCSF, Venezuela1 Comment

(re-run) This is the kind of post that is scary to write, knowing that melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer. When I got the call, I was hiking in one of the most beautiful places on Earth near Carmel, with two friends, a happy couple who happened to be in town. “I have melanoma,” I… Continue reading Melanoma and Me

Butterflies in the Park

October 31, 2020October 30, 2020 Posted in butterflies, dogs, Halloween, high school, memoir, pandemic, park, rats, rescue, skin cancer, stitches, trick or treatLeave a comment

It’s the day before Halloween. I was able to walk my dog for the first time in two weeks since the stitches in my lower leg (melanoma) were removed yesterday. Pepper was happy to get out of the house but went back inside with the lure of a beefy treat. That meant Daisy, who had… Continue reading Butterflies in the Park

Melanoma and Me

October 19, 2020October 19, 2020 Posted in biopsy, California, cancer, Carmel, dermatologist, equator, melanoma, memoir, skin, skin cancer, sunburn, surgery, UCSF, VenezuelaLeave a comment

This is the kind of post that is scary to write, knowing that melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer. When I got the call, I was hiking in one of the most beautiful places on Earth near Carmel, with two friends, a happy couple who happened to be in town. “I have melanoma,” I said… Continue reading Melanoma and Me