You’re reading this so you’re online. You may be on Facebook or other form of social media. Remember, once it’s out there, it’s out there…and that includes pictures and there is no age limit. Yes, I’m being vague and I’m sorry about that. But there’s an issue you need to be aware of and I’ve just become aware of it. I’m part of the melanoma community. There are a multitude of other communities where people come together around other diseases and issues. Beware: There are websites that use the Internet for evil, they spread lies (cloaked under the freedom of religion and free speech), and ..read more

It has been over a year and a half since my last post...a post that I, at one time, didn't think I'd ever write. A lot has happened in this time frame. My melanoma hit stage 4...advanced stage 4. Lung, spine (at the bottom of my spine where it joins with my hip), and 4 places in my brain. To back up: before being told brain, bone, and lung, I had odd symptoms and a couple of wrong diagnoses between the last post in March 2015 and when what was supposed to be a benign fatty tumor was removed and proved to be a tumor filled with melanoma in August 2015. On September 2, 2015 my melanoma specialis ..read more

And who ever would have thunk it? Certainly not me! I'm not so sure that I thought Facebook would last as long as it has without something newer, bigger, and better replacing it. But, it's still here and so is MPC. It would not be what it is without the support and participation of the most special people in the world, and that's my melahomies! Just as MPC continues to grow, learn, and evolve, so do I. I have learned that I really am not the the Queen of Melanoma World and I have no dictatorial powers. I can pray, advocate, and educate, but I cannot, CANNOT, for the life of me take the twists ..read more

That would be "Post Clark." Specifically, George Clark as there are certainly many, many other wonderful Clarks left! Countless people have traversed this way before me and it's a season that I knew would come. One day. At some distant point in the far away future. And Daddy would be terribly, terribly ooooolllllldddd and I would, somehow, be "prepared" whatever that word actually means. To be frank, and I am, I think it's a terrible word to put in the same thought as someone dying. How in the world does someone actually "PREPARE?" I thought I knew. I was wrong. So awfully, terribly, horri ..read more

It has been a while since my last post. Sorry. But I do want to let folks know I'm fine and still here! I'm truly living in one of those blessed seasons right now. Life is good. Family is good. Church is good. Health is good. I can honestly say I have no complaints. Nothing worth mentioning, anyway. So let me catch you up on the best of the best in my world! In my family world, both my parents are in good shape for the shape they're in. Daddy is 84 now and Mama is right behind him and will turn 84 in November. They celebrated 58 years of wedded bliss and every other emotion that comes with 58 ..read more

I'm not going to write the blog post that searcher may have wanted. Horror stories abound, to be sure. From misdiagnoses, to doctors not listening to us, to this disease finally being caught only to have spiraled to places unforeseen, to the manifesting of black tumors spreading like wildfire, to financial loses, loses of support, family unraveling, you name it. But you know what? Found inside each of those "horror stories," are stories of real hope. Perseverance. Faith. Keeping on keeping on. Prayers for getting through the moment and for a better tomorrow. Stories of riding out the storm ev ..read more

In various blog posts I've hit on the fact that we are our own best advocates, in Melaland, when it comes to anything associated with our health. Feel free to do a blog site search. It's time to bring those ideas together under one roof. And while this is written with "melanoma" in mind, because that's what I know, this applies to other cancers and life-threatening diseases as well. Many of us have wonderful support systems to help advocate for us. But I've also been around long enough to know that many of us do not have good support systems. Whether you do, or don't, have someone who will ma ..read more

But that's how it goes when you're me. My melahomey, Donna Regen, is currently basking in the fact that Google is having fun sending very unsuspecting searchers to her blog. They plug in search terms like "Sweety Mama for sex in Pretoria" and "Pretoria Mama with Big Booty" and they get HER! They plug in stuff like "how long to die from melanoma" and get ME! Unfortunately, a lot of people plug in similar search terms, probably after they receive their very own melanoma diagnosis, and find me. It's a natural fit, I suppose. But this gives me an opportunity to shout something from the mountain ..read more

And, boy, are we a funny lot, indeed! Sometimes we can forget and sometimes others don't know. We can, and do, develop a dark humor. We laugh at doctor/hospital jokes. Heck, we LIVE them! We learn that the old adage, "might as well laugh instead of cry" often is a really good policy for dealing with all the junk we have to deal with. I write a lot about our trials and attirude (which can be hilarious in hindsight). I write a lot trying to lift us up, remind us God is in our midst, and to hold out hope. Today, I'm feeling the need to remind us to laugh. It really is great medicine...and it's F ..read more

HELLO! Show of hands for all who can identify, or who could identify at one time...maybe when your melanoma diagnosis was still fairly new. That term led someone to this blog and I hope they found what they were looking for. This topic needs to be addressed for those who have received this diagnosis. Yes, the stat for a melanoma diagnosis is on the rise, worldwide. Yes, the stat for dying from melanoma is, likewise, rising. This is one of the few cancers that can say that. This post isn't about the stats as they apply to a possible melanoma diagnosis. This post is for those who have received ..read more