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Robert Harsh, seen here with his wife, Donna, was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. He said he wouldn't classify himself as an outdoorsy type of person. (Photo courtesy of Harsh familiy) |
You don't die from skin cancer. That's what Robert Harsh thought when he was diagnosed with the disease about four years ago.
You go to a doctor, have the lesion removed and life goes on.
But there was more to the small spot on Harsh's cheek than met the eye.
It was melanoma.
For several months, Harsh would look in the mirror and see something resembling a pimple.
It wasn't dark, it didn't change shapes. But it wouldn't heal.
Harsh is a flight paramedic with the Maryland State Police and volunteered for years with the Williamsport Ambulance Co.
But even with his medical training, "I didn't have a clue what it was," he said.
At the urging of his wife, Donna, Harsh went to see his primary-care physician.
The results of a biopsy caught him by surprise.
He had basil cell carcinoma.
Harsh said he made an appointment with a plastic surgeon in Frederick, Md., who removed the growth and sent it to a lab for diagnosis.
This time around, Harsh received more serious news.
He had malignant melanoma.
Anyone can get skin cancer
Each year, about 9,000 Americans die from melanoma.
When diagnosed early, the skin cancer is highly curable, reports the Melanoma Research Foundation. But it is the least screened cancer and the more advanced the tumor, the harder it is to treat and cure. It's often fatal once it spreads beyond the skin.
Harsh said he was never an outdoors person.
"I grew up helping my grandfather on his farm. But I wasn't a biker, hiker or boater. I just wouldn't classify myself as the outdoorsy type," he said. "And most of my career has been spent in ambulances or in and out of buildings."
