ringo

In october i was diagnosed with melignant melanoma. It was on my left calf and it was a growth and not one of me pre existing moles. I am only 21 years old and i think it is extreamly importanat to get the word out. Although i grew up in a beach city and baked in baby oil all day when i was a young teen i was no worse than my friends. In fact i have never been sunburnt a day in my life (we at least the obvious lobster looking kind). I am italian and have olive skin so i would just get darker. I have many friends who would have to literally 'burn off' their pale skin to get their tan, we called this shedding. Anyways my point is i think it is important to share that skin cancer is a very real thing and extreamly dangerous. You should get checked at least once a year and make sure the Dermatologist checks your scalp and uner your feet. Its never being paranoid to check on somthing that looks weird. I didnt have health insurance and my growth had been there for 8 months. It was a small bump almost wart looking, but it was skin colored. Many people think for it tobe cancer it has to be oozing and black/pink/red. Because i waited so long the grown became a stage 4 melanoma and most doctors agree stage 5 is terminal. They had to go into my lymph nodes to make sure the cancer had not spread there and suprisingly all they found was tattoo ink. Yes thats right they opened my lymph near my groin, na dmy surgon had to remove 4 black lymps he though was cancer to find that they were covered in ink. For a surgon who had already been giving me shit for my tattoos (lovingly) you can imagine my suprise when the first thing i saw/ heard when i woke up from surgery was, "You see this is why you dont get tattoos." But there is a happy ending. All of the cancer is out and i am doing really great!!

Pictures. The scar is about 5 inches long and mis shapes my calf now.

But thankfully i have amazing friends! And never have been better!!

And in case you didnt know... i really like to dance...