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From: Cliff Tyllick
Date: Jul 15, 2010 9:03AM

I hope Jared Smith doesn't mind my taking this action, but if you don't follow him on Twitter, you would have missed his most recent message:

"Having a large portion of my toe removed. Possible Melanoma. Please check for and have suspicious spots examined. Now. Please."

I've seen Jared mention his faith in his tweets, so I know he's very religious. If you are, too, I know that your prayers will mean a great deal to him and his family right now. If you're not, I'm sure your caring thoughts will mean a lot to them as well.

But most of all, do take his message seriously. If you don't know exactly what to look for to detect possible melanomas, please learn. If you do know, please refresh your memory. The Mayo Clinic has good information online: http://tinyurl.com/32gh3af (I'm sure there are other good sources, too.)

If you can't see well enough to recognize melanomas on yourself, please have someone close to you or a medical professional help you out by checking periodically.

And don't overlook areas that rarely if ever see the sun. As Jared's case shows, melanomas can develop there, too.

The steps to prevent, detect, and, with early detection, treat melanoma are simple. The consequences of waiting too long are harsh. So don't let melanoma sneak up on you or those in your care.

Jared, I'm sure everyone on this list is pulling for you. Get well and stay well, my friend.

Cliff Tyllick
Usability specialist and Web development coordinator

Agency Communications Division
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
512-239-4516
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