By Bruce Huseby, MSU Gran Fondo participant
We sat in the surgeon’s office as my wife Debbie was told that her malignant melanoma was in one of the worst spots possible. It had grown right over a major cluster of lymph nodes. Surgery was required and as he looked into our faces he said, “if the cancer is in the lymph nodes you need to start putting you house in order because there is no cure.” We left the surgeons office after that very forthright meeting and Debbie gleefully starts chanting, “I’m going to heaven before you are.” I was not really too amused because her Dad, my father in law, Del passed away as a result of melanoma earlier that year.
How filled with gratitude we were that Debbie went to a Doctor to get a simple prescription filled and an observant nurse noticed her spot and said the Doctor needed to see it. Because of that early detection and a successful surgery with clean borders, Debbie is cancer free.
At the same time one of my dearest friends contracted melanoma on his heel of all places. It took his life. As a Pastor I deal with disease and illness all the time and cancer is always a present enemy. The amount of skin cancer has affected so many of our families and so many lives. How thankful I am that we have skilled researchers that use their talents and skills to seek better treatment and ultimately a cure. Thanks for doing your part in supporting the work of MSU’s College of Human Medicine and the 2017 GRAN FONDO.
