I had my stitches removed this morning. It has been two weeks since I had major surgery for malignant cutaneous desmoplastic melanoma on my upper back/lower neck. Sounds ominous right? It is. The surgery took five hours. The surgeon removed an area about 3 inches in diameter and about an inch deep. The incision is about 8 inches wide. This has been the biggest health challenge of my life.
A little over a year ago I noticed a small white bump on my back. It didn’t hurt. Looked harmless enough. I showed it to my dermatologist and general practitioner. Both thought it was probably a cyst and that “older” people got them. Not to worry. No need to extract it.
In April of this year I decided that it was becoming a visual blight and I asked my general practitioner to extract it in his office, which he did. The biopsy was then sent to a local Phoenix lab and then on to San Francisco where it was further analyzed by a leading PhD who specialized in cutaneous desmoplastic melanoma (DM for short) at the University of California.
Yep. I had it.
This particular type of cancer is caused by — you guessed it — exposure to the sun. Welcome to Arizona. I have lived here 34 years. Always had a pool. Worked in the yard. Played outside. Wore a hat ... well, not always. Rarely used sunscreen — especially not on my upper back and neck area. Big mistake. By the way, a misdiagnosis is typical for this type of melanoma. The surgeon told me that if I had waited two or three more months prior to having a biopsy taken, the prognosis would have likely been poor.
You’ve heard people say how their life changed directions in a New York minute. Mine did. Imagine going in to see your doctor to have a couple of stitches removed and have him tell you matter-of-factly that the lab results came back, and they were positive: ”Mr. Beydler you have cancer and need to see a surgeon immediately to have it removed.”
My first reaction was one of shock and disbelief. I have never had any real medical emergency in my 60 years on planet Earth. I staggered out the door and immediately went to Starbucks for a latte. Hey, priorities are priorities.
I had to get myself together before calling my wife. I sat in the car. I told her. We both cried. Suddenly, you feel very vulnerable. Of course, you think of the consequences for your loved ones, your friends, your clients in the event that this is the big one. But we didn’t sit around feeling sorry for ourselves.
Immediately, we began “Googling” every medical study we could find to understand what I had, what to do about it and what the odds were for survival.
The good news is that I had a 75 percent chance of lasting five years or more IF I removed the tumor immediately and the lymph nodes were clean.
We scheduled surgery for 17 days later. There is no bad news.
Everything worked out fine. The surgeon got it all. All nine lymph nodes were clear of any cancerous cells. I’m good to go.
So why would I share a story so intimate and personal with the general public? There’s a lesson here.
You and only you can take responsibility for your own health. My doctors sat back and watched my melanoma grow for a year. I had to take the initiative to have it removed. Only you can protect yourself from the very dangerous Arizona sun. Cover up. Wear sunscreen. There is a reason sombreros are designed that way. Check your body out on a regular basis. If something is not right don’t ignore it. Have it looked at. Don’t accept people telling you “Don’t worry about it” on face value.
It’s your life. You only get one shot at this. Make it count.
Jon Beydler is a 34-year Valley resident and the former Mayor of Fountain Hills who lives in South Chandler.
Cerulean posted at 11:43 am on Sun, Jun 10, 2012.
It is good to hear that you are well!
You don’t have to run a marathon to inspire others. Sometimes a good word, a personal story in the local paper is enough to inspire, even save the life of another.
Thank you, Jon Beydler, for all of your good words.
Erica posted at 12:03 pm on Sun, Jun 10, 2012.
Thank you for writing this article. I am a 32 year old female living in Chandler. I too have had to hear those very scary words from my doctor about having Melanoma. Here I was, 5 weeks from my wedding with a cancer diagnosis. I had surgery, and two lymph nodes removed, recovered and got married! This past March I had my second Melanoma diagnosis, another surgery, as well as a basil cell surgery a few months before that. The only thing that has saved my life (besides all the wonderful doctors) has been that little voice in my head that wouldn't let my doctors walk away without taking biopsies. It is so true that only YOU know your body, listen to what it is telling you, and don't put off seeing a doctor. Early detection is the only way to save lives. Good luck to you Jon, and thanks for telling your story.
chatmandu002 posted at 10:02 pm on Sun, Jun 10, 2012.
Good luck Jon, hope your recovery goes well.
Slabside posted at 12:28 am on Mon, Jun 11, 2012.
Jon, while you and I seldom agree politically, I wish you well and a speedy recovery my friend.
Tigere posted at 10:33 am on Mon, Jun 11, 2012.
I wish you the best in your upcoming journey ....
Now - the picture - a well worn 32/34 indeeed and a bio line(s) which says 32 and another that says 34 ... (TIC) so AZ journalism - nothing's quite what it seems and seldom complete or accurate ....
samkat posted at 8:26 pm on Mon, Jun 11, 2012.
Jon: I can certainly relate with you. Although I have dodged the melanoma bullet thus far, many years in the sun has taken its toll on me as well. I have had literally hundreds of basal cell and squamous cell cancers removed. The most frightening was the one on my nose that had it gone undetected a few more more months could have cost me my entire nose and left eye. The doctors had missed it for years and only my insistence on another biopsy saved the day. Fortunately, my dermatologist who is one of the best in the valley sent me to the Mayo Clinic. It was an all day affair just two days before Christmas. My wife was ready to swear off Christmas after having to endure 10 hours of nonstop canned Christmas music while the staff dermatologist did his thing and followed up by an entire afternoon of reconstructive plastic surgery to make me look presentable after losing the entire left side of my nose.
About three months ago, my dermatologist cut me from my left eye to my chin. While he was at it, I asked him to remove what he considered to be a cyst behind my right ear. You guessed it. It turned out to be cancerous.
This is a long winded way to reinforce the need for sun screen, broad brimmed hats and long sleeve shirts as Jon mentioned. ALWAYS get anything suspicious checked out.