STARK COUNTY, Ohio — When actor Hugh Jackman recently announced another skin cancer scare, he used the opportunity to remind people of the importance of sun safety. It’s an issue that Bob Doerr, a Canal Fulton resident, knows first-hand.
What You Need To Know
- One in five people get diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime
- Bob Doerr is one of those people and if he hadn’t advocated for himself to his doctor, his life could be very different
- The CDC suggests people protect themselves against the sun with sunscreen, hats and staying in the shade
One in five people will get skin cancer in their lifetime, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one being Doerr.
“I was angry at the doctor because I had noticed this patch and had been doing annual screenings and kept talking about this spot and they said, ‘don’t worry don’t worry don’t worry’,” he said.
Doerr had the doctor remove the spot he was concerned about and had it biopsied.
“Guess what? It was something to worry about,” he said.
Doerr was diagnosed with melanoma in August of 2020. His doctors removed the cancer in his leg, but then found the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. Doerr then underwent a year of immunotherapy, which he believes he would not have had to do if he didn’t advocate for himself.
“I didn’t need to have any of that. Or the expense or all of that so that’s where the anger parts come in,” he said.
Doerr has now learned to take precautionary steps to protect himself from the sun, although Ohio is not always so sunny.
“I use 100 SPF now, suntan lotion if I’m going to be out I’ll put that on. I’m really good now about wearing a hat because as you can see I don’t have a lot of hair up there to protect my head and if we go out on the boat I’ll wear a sun shirt now,” he said.
The American Academy of Dermatology said more than 9,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with skin cancer every year and Doerr is concerned.
“The problem is getting bigger, not smaller,” he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encouraged people to wear sunscreen, hats and stay in the shade when possible.
