Even a mole can cause major problems, if you ignore it!

Many years have gone by since this picture was taken, she has change very little.
(although I do not think anyone has seen her back since this was taken in 1983)..

Below is the first picture I took of her (1971).

She thought she had the mole then.. it should have showed up here.
(It may have been a small one under the strap at that time.. but I
did not notice it at the beach in the low-back bathing suit either!

I should have noticed it was growing,
(and changing in color).. click on it for close-up
(click the "back" button to return here)
I think it started out the shape of a dime..

Various other "close-up" pictures have been added..
(you will not get the same picture when clicking on them)

The first time I noticed it was almost two years ago, she said it had always been there.
It did not begin to itch for another year, Pam refused to go in to get it checked out.
(She does not like doctors due to a problem with one of them 23 years ago)..
I finally got the women in the family to talk to her about it last October.
By then it had reach a Clark Level of V and a thickness of 6.6 mm...(stage 4 Melanoma region).
If we had know how dangerous this was we could have had it removed when it begin to change.
Waiting over two years was the wrong thing to do.....

The next picture is very graphic.. it is what will happen to you if you are not careful!!

After Pam recovered from the surgery she refused to go to the doctor again.
The following pictures are the next she would allow to be taken..
(the first time in over 20 years I have nothing of the holidays).
This is a cancer "workshop" meeting in mid January of 2002.

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Pam even agreed to bring rolls and help with the video.

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People who have cancer in the family, (from Spearfish, Belle Fourche, Lead, and Deadwood) had someone to join in with.

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My son came to help me "double-cover" what was said.

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Three of those attending were nurses from local hospitals... The pain was discussed... even the bitter taste.

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Sherry Bea Smith gave a very good talk on many forms of treatment
She also gave me permission to air the video on the Internet,
(watch these "cancer" pages for updates and links to the videos).
I will also make the last two pictures "clickable" for large printing..
I will continue to check on all forms of treatment for my wife, I will let you know what I am finding out through this Internet site!

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If she had gotten this mole removed when it began to become cancer, (long ago), it would have been a simple "skin-graph" type operation. The fact that she was so afraid of doctors should not have been a factor if I had known the seriousness of this type of cancer.. Over a year ago she began to ask me to rub and scratch around it and I should have taken pictures of it to the doctor.. As it was, I had trouble getting pictures of it to compare the spread or color change. I did nothing about it even after I suspected something was wrong with it, mostly due to my hatred for doctors and to honor her request to not mention it.
I think after finding out how much she would suffer from this cancer, (and finding out how long it would last) I just wanted it to go away and did not want to mention it anymore either.
This is called the "denial" stage of cancer.. I am out of that stage now, she remains in that frame of mind, and some say she will continue that thinking until the "pain" stage.. which is when the cancer has reached the point that it can be found easily.
What I am looking for now is a way to stop the cancer while it is still in the "micro" stage.. I do not think doctors spend much time dealing with this stage. And if Interferon, (a very harmful and ineffective treatment) is the only option they offer to someone like my wife I think more time and effort should go to research.
More pages will be added soon, return to the "home" page by clicking here Deadwood Digital Television

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