I got a hole punched in my leg

Shelby Neeley Opinions Editor

We, as a society, are terrified of cancer. And we’ve got a good reason! It kills about 33 percent of the people who have a form of it, and it’s very hard to permanently get rid of. Everyone worries about cancer, or at least I definitely do.

I realized something was wrong about a month ago. After a visit to my primary doctor (where she glared at my suspicious leg mole for an uncomfortable amount of time), I was referred to a dermatologist. It took me about two weeks to get an appointment, a time that was filled with intense anxiety. The actual appointment was both anxiety-inducing and underwhelming.

I had the rest of my skin inspected before he looked at my suspicious leg mole. He used his tiny little telescope, had his assistant use her little tiny telescope, and then told me he would be cutting the mole off. I was injected with novocaine, and then told that novocaine doesn’t always work on redheads, which was wonderful news for me, a redhead.

As soon as my leg was nice and numb, he had me lay down and close my eyes. I felt a little stab, and then it was over. I had been hole punched (quite literally). They used a punch needle, which takes a circular chunk of flesh out, exactly like a hole punch.

My leg was stitched up, a bandaid was slapped on my wound, and I was sent on my way back to school. The day after, it hurt quite a bit, because my body was mad about the square inch of flesh it was missing. The dermatologist told me they’d test the mole, and if it turns out to be a type of cancer, I’d have to go back and get more skin removed.

My experience was a little unusual. Melanoma, a type of skin cancer, is extraordinarily rare in children and teenagers, accounting for only 7 percent of all teenage cancers. Risk factors include pale or light skin, red or blonde hair, or a family history of melanoma. I’ve got all three. Every one of my grandparents has had forms of skin cancer, sometimes more than once, so this is something that will most likely follow me throughout life.

Now, I’ve gotten my results back; it’s not cancer. Even if it was, I would only have to get a little bit more skin off. But I’ve learned from this experience.

Not everything is as scary as it looks. Your family is both a blessing and a curse. Most importantly? Get regular checkups.