Rick's Journey To This Treatment Began In Vietnam
He Was (Like Most) Close To Agent Orange And Was
Burned Severely By The Tropical Sun
His Letters Home Asked For Sea And Ski
It Was The One Recommended Sunscreen Available At The Time (1967-68)
The Sun Still Blistered His Skin

As Time Went On He Didn't Realize The Damage That Had Been Done
In The 1990's He Began Noticing Red Blotches On His Arms
And Over Time They Became Worse And Formed Lesions

In 2007 He Was Being Treated At The VA And Saw His First Dermatologist
They Gave Him A Cream (Efudex)
Which Was Supposed To Be Similar To Retin-A
Efudex Cream Burns The Dermal Layer Off, Exposing New Skin
This Treatment Didn't Work

In 2009, They Had A New Treatment Called Blue Light
The Purpose Of Blue Light
Is To Stop The Pre-Cancerous Lesions From Progressing Into Skin Cancer
They Asked Him If He Would Agree To Try It
And He Said Yes
The First Treatment Wasn't Effective

They Had Him Try It Again With A Different Plan Of Attack

This Time They Applied An Activator (A Type Of Acid)
Instead Of Waiting An Hour To Begin The Treatment
They Sent Him Home Over Night So The Activator Could Penetrate Deeper

There Were Profound Differences Between The First Treatment And This One
The First Treatment Didn't Burn And Didn't Take Hold

As Soon As They Turned The Blue Light Machine On This Time
I Could See The Pain In His Eyes
His Right Leg Started Bouncing 90 Miles An Hour Up And Down
He Closed His Eyes Tightly And Winced In Pain
He Asked Every Two Minutes
Am I Done Yet?
I Feel Like A Lobster

Hopefully This Time It Is A Success

Bobbie

On Memorial Day
Don't Forget To Thank A Veteran








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