Unc is a different breed. He's a Vietnam vet. He has lived his life with love, integrity and a take no prisoners attitude. He makes no excuses for who he is or how he lives his life. You always know where you stand with him. It is actually very refreshing. In today's America the average person is rushed, hushed and too busy trying to "get there" to stand for anything.
It has been over 40 years since he noticed the little bump on his arm. For years it stayed the same and everyone assumed it was a cyst or in grown hair. Then it started getting bigger and got tender.
He made an appointment with his doctor. She thought it was a cyst. Unc and his doctor decided to drain it or remove it. Once the doctor cut into it, they both realized it was not just a cyst. Unc says it looked like tapioca. The decision was made to remove it flat to the surface and send the contents to the pathology lab. The local hospital was Wichita, Kansas. The lab there assumed it was melanoma. The sample was then sent to the at KU Medical school lab . That lab also assumed it was a melanoma. Neither facility could 100% verify what type, grade or stage the sample was. The sample then got a ride to the labs in Berkley. It was Berkley that diagnosed it as a rare melanoma. Unc followed up with a plastic surgeon to remove the remainder of the tumor. The tumor had grown down his arm about 7 inches and had not visibly metastasized. The doctors recommended one year of chemotherapy as a precautionary measure. So Unc drove three times a week to Wichita for his shot. He lost a lot of weight but none of his spirit.
Yet another case of something that did not belong but had not caused concern. You know my mantra by now. ABC...Always Biopsy to be Certain.
Take away nugget: A bad attitude is like a flat tire. you can't go anywhere until you change it.
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