Association Perspective
A new lease on life.
In October of 2011, I was diagnosed with stage IIIC metastatic melanoma. After recovering from the initial shock of having been told I had cancer, my next thought was, “How could this be? How could this possibly have happened to me?” After all, in my mind I was the picture of health — running and cycling daily to stay in shape, eating healthy, watching my weight, and having a complete physical annually. In hindsight, however, I was the perfect candidate.
You might even say I was the “poster child” for skin cancer, having spent countless hours as a youngster at the pool, on the ball field and later as a lifeguard in high school and college, slowly being baked by the sun and unconsciously inflicting irreparable damage to my skin. To add further insult to injury, this doesn’t even include my adult years when I knew better. Yet I continued to work outside on an open-cab tractor, build fence and perform other farm chores in the middle of the day, during the sun’s strongest rays, without any form of skin protection.
According to The American Cancer Society:
- Skin cancer is the most common and one of the fastest-growing types of cancer in the United States, with exposure to the sun being the main risk factor.
- More than 3.3 million people are treated for basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer each year.
- In 2022 approximately 99,780 new melanoma cases will be diagnosed. About 57,180 will be in men and 42,600 in women.
- In 2022 approximately 7,650 people are expected to die of melanoma (about 5,080 men and 2,570 women).
Most skin cancers, including melanoma, can be cured if found and treated early!
My intent of this article was neither to have you feel sorry for my situation nor to unnecessarily frighten you. It’s simply to remind you that, as cattlemen, we spend a significant amount of time in the sun, usually unprotected and therefore more susceptible to skin cancer than people in most other professions in this country. I am fortunate that I work for an organization that places personal well-being above a time clock, allowing me to travel to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, more than 60 times in the last 11 years to receive the best medical attention available for my condition. More importantly, I am blessed to have the support, encouragement and prayers of family, friends and co-workers as I continue my daily battle to defeat this disease.
In closing I encourage you to take time to learn the “ABCDE” rule of melanoma and early signs of skin cancer. Do weekly checks of your body. If you find anything unusual, go to the doctor immediately. Avoid the sun during the middle of the day, and protect yourself from the sun’s rays by wearing long sleeves and long pants, a hat with a wide brim, and eye protection. Finally, regardless of the weather outside, always use a sunscreen lotion with a protectant value of at least 30. Living with melanoma has changed my life and that of my family forever. I hope by taking the time to read this column, it might change your life and maybe that of someone else you care about. For more information visit https://www.cancer.org/cancer/melanoma-skin-cancer.html.
Editor’s note: David Gazda is the director of field services and serves as regional manager for Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Click here to find the regional manager for your state.
