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Ken Grabowski
Photo: News Advocate PhotoKen Grabowski
Ken Grabowski
Ken Grabowski
There are certain words, when said to us, that ring out and instantly send a chill down our spines.
Twice I have heard the words from a doctor's mouth that he was pretty certain what he was looking at was cancer and that a biopsy was needed. In my case I was fortunate both times as it was forms of skin cancer that could be removed with a surgical procedure, stitches and the appearance that I was the loser in a 15-round boxing match.
When a doctor cuts out a chunk of your face below your ear and your upper right cheek, you quickly come to the realization that this is no laughing matter. It’s a feeling that I pray to God never to experience a third time.
As you sit in the chair with your face open while the doctor runs tests to make sure what they cut away has "all clear cancer free corners" it gives you some time to reflect on your personal stupidity.
Luckily once again I had a very skilled dermatologist in Dr. Doug Richley who got it all out. We are so fortunate to have someone of his skill level in our community.
What it amounts to quite simply is I am paying for the sins of my past. When I was in my teens and 20s, like most people who live in Manistee or on the shores of Lake Michigan, it meant lots of beach time.
However, with that beach time comes exposure to harmful sun rays that don't get you at that age, but come back to haunt you later on at my current age. The sad truth of the matter is the young me was quite simply stupid, but there wasn’t anyone who could have told me that back then.
Every summer in my youth meant getting what looked like an incredible tan. To get it meant literally getting fried on many occasions and it damaged my skin quite a bit.
It’s been a couple decades since getting a big time sunburn last happened and today even a simple walk entails smothering on loads of sunblock to protect what is left. Hindsight is often 20/20, and in this case it is crystal clear to me, but the sad thing is we can’t go back and change our mistakes no matter how much we would like to.
So the reason I am writing this column is even if it wakes up just one younger person from making the same mistakes as me it is all worth it. All you have to do on one of the many hot days we have experienced this summer is drive down to one of beaches and see the literally hundreds of people frying their bodies in the sun.
Many like me in the past aren’t using any protection for their skin either and I guarantee you talking to them about what they are doing would have little or no impact.
When I noticed a spot on my upper right cheek this time what concerned me was the timing couldn’t be worse as it was shortly after the pandemic swung into full gear. At that point, everything was shut down including doctor’s offices.
After two weeks of waiting and worrying, imagine my relief when I called Dr. Richley’s office and the voicemail said he would soon be taking patients and to leave a message. A couple days later, I got a call back and scheduled an appointment to get it checked out.
Dr. Richley took one look at it and said “I am pretty certain this is cancer Ken, but let’s do a biopsy." A couple days later the results came back and confirmed his diagnosis.
That is where I really appreciated having someone of his talent right here in Manistee to call upon for assistance. Not only did he get it taken care of, you really can’t even see where it or the stitches that were needed to close it up were located.
So what people can hopefully take away from this column is a couple of things. Don’t abuse your skin foolishly like me when you are young (or at any age for that matter) because it is going to come back to haunt you in the end. A stupid sun tan isn’t worth the pain of getting a chunk of you face or other part of your body cut away because of skin cancer.
When you can, limit your exposure to the harmful rays and when you can’t, put lots of sunblock on to protect yourself. Getting fried really isn’t worth it, and I am quite certain Dr. Richley can probably tell you some horror stories of people who don’t heed that advice.
The second most important thing is if you notice a lesion or something on your skin that doesn’t look right, get a doctor or dermatologist to check it out. Waiting to get it checked out may turn something that a simple procedure could fix into something that is much more complex.
It takes a big person to admit publicly they did something stupid to cause their problem, but if it helps someone else then it is all worth it. You may not thank me now, but in decades to come it may help you.
Something to think about ... well beyond when I see you again on Thursday.
Ken Grabowski is the retired associate editor at the Manistee News Advocate. He can be reached at grubba65@yahoo.com.
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KEN GRABOWSKI: Sometimes youthful stupidity comes back to haunt us - Manistee News Advocate
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