Rachel Maddow undergoing treatment for skin cancer
MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow revealed Wednesday night that she was diagnosed with skin cancer after her partner noticed an odd mole.
Maddow, 48, said she and Susan Mikula were at a minor league baseball game “a couple months ago” when Susan pointed out that a mole on her neck had changed.
“Long story short, Susan was right,” Maddow said during her show. “I went to the dermatologist… did a biopsy, turns out it was skin cancer.”
The anchor said she underwent surgery at NYU Langone on Friday, which explained the Band-Aid on her neck and her few days off the air.
“I am going to be absolutely fine. I’m going to be totally fine,” she said.
Maddow also urged people, especially those with moles, to get regular checks by doctors.
“It’s only by the grace of Susan that I found mine in enough time that it was totally treatable. Because I have been blowing off my appointments forever to get stuff like that checked because I’ve assumed it will always be fine. Well, in this case, it was Susan who checked it for me. And thank God. Not everybody has a Susan, I recognize,” she said.
“And you do need to get this stuff checked by a doctor. Do not blow it off. Honestly, it is the easiest doctor’s appointment in the world of all the things you go to the doctor for.”
Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers, affecting 1 in 5 Americans by the age of 70, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. The most prevalent risk factors include indoor tanning, sun exposure and genetics.
When caught early, almost all forms of skin cancer are treatable; 99% of cases are are curable if diagnosed and treated early enough, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
