Courtesy of Roswell Park Cancer Blog
Kenmore native Andrew Beale is a veteran firefighter, captain of Engine 35 in Kaisertown, has a degree in communications from UB, is a husband, and the father of two sons. At age 36, he also is a survivor of melanoma skin cancer.
When Andy saw a dermatologist about a mole, he noticed what looked like a small bruise, but was told not to worry. When he learned through his union about Roswell Park’s First Responders Cancer Screening Program, he took advantage of it, partly in memory of fellow firefighters lost to cancer. When the Roswell Park team examined him and saw the spot, they suggested removing it. Thinking there was nothing to worry about, he was surprised when, one week later, Roswell Park called to say his biopsy had come back positive for melanoma, stage 1.
When he returned for a consult, Andy’s care team explained that there was only an 18% chance the cancer had spread. However, they recommended double-checking his lymph nodes to be sure. Thereafter, they decided on surgery to completely remove the spot on his abdomen and a margin of tissue around it, and then biopsied the lymph nodes under both arms to determine whether or not the cancer had spread.
Andrew admits that recovery took some time, and waiting for the results of the biopsy, which took about 10 days, was hard. “I was still recovering when my wife gave birth to my son Beckett, but by that time, Roswell Park had already called to let me know that the biopsy had come back negative. It did not spread to my lymph nodes. Dr. Joseph Skitzki, MD, FACS, was great. He was confident that they got it all out of my abdomen, and there was no spread to my lymph nodes. He thought everything was looking really good going forward.”
Today, Andrew advises everyone — especially his fellow firefighters and other first responders who have a higher exposure to carcinogens — to get checked for skin cancer. “Life changes when you have kids, and every day that you’re with them seems like the greatest day,” he says. “I feel like if I were to lose out on any of those days, I would get cheated in life,” adding that 10 years of putting on the gear and going in and out of fires, was at least a factor in his diagnosis.
Andrew’s best advice? “Take a day, and go get a cancer screening. I’ve been preaching it ever since I had my scare to my friends, family, and everyone I know. My brothers, my dad, my best friends, and my wife went to get screened. Everybody went. It’s just such an easy thing. And you don’t want to get cheated out of those free days, man. You got to cash them all in.”
First responders face unique occupational health risks. Take advantage of Roswell Park’s unmatched specialized expertise in cancer prevention and detection. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/yck83p2k, or call 1-800-767-9355 to make an appointment.
