Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal Cell Carcinoma, that's what has been growing on my arm until the doctor cut it out last week. Cancer, he called it this morning when he told me, but then added some doctors don't call it cancer. In fact, he said, and the nurse quite reassuringly agreed, “If you're going to have cancer… this is the best kind of cancer you can have!” Do we have a choice?

No matter what the doctor said it still scares me. Seeing others with cancer has always scared me. Even though, today we see many people live a long time after being treated for cancer, it's still a demon, a dark scary demon to me.

I have friends and family of friends who have battled serious types of cancer (not skin cancer) and some have won the battle while others have fought valiantly but still had to leave us. Thinking about their fights and knowing how devastating it can be, even with the doctor reassuring me that this type of cancer is “nothing to worry about,” I still had that feeling in the pit of my stomach; that “what if” that happens when people anticipate life being turned over or the possibility of a life being abruptly ended. I needed more information.

When I arrived at work, I sat down at my desk and immediately typed basal cell carcinoma into my search engine. There it was, an entry from Wikipedia explaining what it was. It was comforting to read the information written by volunteer authors and see pictures of what to expect. But the best part was reading the entry declaring what the doctor had told me, it is usually, and almost always, not fatal. A second opinion is always a comforting thing.

When I asked the nurse how you get basal cell carcinoma, she said you usually get it from exposure to the sun. But I didn't really spend that much time in the sun, with the exception of this year and I’ve had the sore for at least two years. I do have a new habit, as of this morning, SUNSCREEN when I’m outside. Funny how we can become instant advocates of things that we never paid any attention to in the past; life does that to us

I know that there are so many websites and support organizations for cancer and there are so many people that are working so hard to get rid of all kinds of cancer I take my hat off to them. I think that maybe it’s time for me to join the fight in some way.

For today, I’m just happy to be able to say I’m OK.

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