March 2024

During dinner with an oncologist friend, she noticed a lump at the front of my neck. “Likely a thyroid cyst,” she said, “nothing to worry about,” and explained that an ultrasound would differentiate a cystic from a solid lesion.

Thirty-two years ago, I was the mom of a toddler and a baby. I’d found a spot above my left eyebrow that hadn’t healed and that was itchy. I went to a dermatologist (that’s another story) and had a biopsy. A couple of weeks later, a message was left on my answering machine: The biopsy was positive; the lesion was skin cancer.

A good imagination can be an asset but also a liability. I first discovered that fact in 1974, when I found a lump on my left breast. Three more lumps—another on my left breast and two on my right—reinforced my belief that my creative mind could be my most formidable foe.

Dear Readers,

My dear, departed prostate was the cause–and the victim–of several biopsies.

Before the first one, I consulted with friends and family members. Turns out that a surprising number of men over fifty have had prostate biopsies–who knew? (Men don’t talk about this much.)