MSNBC talk show host Rachel Maddow turned her recent skin cancer diagnosis in an opportunity to tell viewers of her show to get tested for the disease.
She took time Wednesday night during “The Rachel Maddow Show” to explain why she decided to go to her doctor to get a mole checked out.
“A couple of months ago, Susan and I went to a minor league baseball game,” Maddow began, referencing her partner of 22 years, artist Susan Mikula. Although they had a great time at the game, Mikula noticed something.
Maddow was sure she had mustard from a ballpark hot dog on her face when she caught her partner staring.
When Maddow asked, Mikula poked her in the neck and told her a mole there had gotten bigger.
“Its like she was speaking Greek, I had no idea what she was talking about,” said Maddow. The next day, she asked her hairdresser for a second opinion.
A biopsy then revealed that the changed mole was skin cancer.
While it might seem like a frightening diagnosis, Maddow’s outlook was good.
“Even the most worrying forms of skin cancer – if you identify it early enough, it is now quite treatable,” she said, before showing off a band-aid from her treatment. Maddow went through surgery at NYU Langone Friday. She said all of the cancer was removed, but that she plans to get frequent screenings from now on.
Even though Maddow said she felt fine right after her surgery, she decided to take a few days off to hide the band-aid. Then, she realized that she wanted to use it to send a message.
“I want to take this moment to tell you something, which is: get checked,” she said. Maddow recommends that people create a regular checkup schedule with their doctor, as it can be easy to ignore your own moles.
“This band-aid saved my life,” she added.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, skin cancers are the most common type of cancer nationwide, with one out of every five Americans developing the condition after age 70 and two people in the U.S. dying from the disease every hour. Although anyone who has had five or more sunburns in their life is at increased risk, early detection is liked to a 99 percent five-year survival rate for melanoma patients.
After the show aired, Maddow also posted about her announcement on Twitter.
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