My best tan ever wasn’t worth this



My best tan ever wasn’t worth this. 

Friday was surgery day for me again.   That was surgery #8 for those who are counting.    Hopefully next week when the pathology report comes back I get the news that the margins are all clear and I can put this chapter behind me.    It is scary for me to think that in two weeks I will be living in a new town and if I need more surgery it will either have to be with a new Dr or I will have to fly back to Kansas City to have it done.    Let’s hope it doesn’t become an issue.   I am excited to move to Vancouver and am really excited to start my new job there but I am not looking forward to having to find all new doctors.  I heard the statement “It’s just skin cancer” again last week. Well, “Just skin cancer” killed 24 people yesterday, and will kill 24 more today.   One of the lives taken Saturday was a young woman whose mother shared her brave and courageous fight with us.   I can only hope for an ounce of her courage and fight.   RIP Jillian, you have inspired me and I am sure many others.   Thank you Susan for sharing her journey with us.   You have done so much to raise awareness about this horrible disease.  

http://jilliansjourneywithmelanoma.blogspot.com/

Protect your skin, stay out of tanning beds, and see a dermatologist regularly.  

Changes

As if my life wasn’t crazy enough I am relocating to Vancouver, WA in January of 2013.   It’s hard to imagine moving across the country and I will miss my daughter and granddaughter more than I care to think about.   I am also terrified at the thought of continuing my journey with cancer without my trusted medical team.   I had a real eye opener this week when I was looking for an apartment to rent while waiting for my house to sell.  I toured 6 different apartment complexes around Vancouver.  Each and every one of them had free, unsupervised and unlimited access to tanning beds.   It’s been 30 years since I have lived in an apartment so I am wondering if this is normal for apartments?  Is this something unique to the NW of the country due to the number of cloudy days?   Not sure but it was stunning to see.  I am here for a few more days before heading back to Kansas City for the holidays.   My next trip out here I won’t be leaving.   It is still hard to imagine.   I have done some exploring around Portland and plan to do a lot more.   I think I will like Portland.  I drove out to see the ocean today but I am not sure why.  I walked on the beach some but it was cold and rainy.   It was nice to hear the sound of the surf again.  I have always found the sound of the surf very relaxing.   I also was excited to see that there is an AIM event in Portland in May.  Hopefully I can get involved.  Crazy times.

Paul