Tag Archives: Skin Cancer

Bandage Bonanza

It’s almost time for me to get rid of my security blanket bandage.Tiffany Burns Curious George has helped me to blow off curious inquiries with good humor.P1020747Bert has been a pal when I just wanted to geek out with a fellow nose-challenged… muppet. Oscar talked trash so I didn’t have to. Elastoplast has endless options.P1020726Grover has taken me from day into night… Snapseed (53) … for a run along my favorite path in Calgary. The pedestrian suspension bridge across the Elbow River is like a bouncy castle for adults — a brief break from our Serious Workouts. If you could be serious with Grover on your nose.

However, muppet jokes aside, the reason he’s there is serious. After Mohs cancer surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma and a skin graft to fill up the ensuing hole, I have diligently protected the new skin. They tell me a scar takes a year to mature. Soon I’ll write about the whole process here on the blog. I’ve documented it every step of the way, along with all the gory exciting pictures. It might not be the height of fashion, but it’s definitely Love Life. Tiffany Burns

In the meantime, I’m going to move on from adhesives. Into primer, concealer, foundation and powder! Stay tuned.ClearSmall xx 2

You Should See The Other Guy!

P1020599“What the heck happened to your nose?”

In Calgary, people don’t mess around. They’re friendly, forthright and I don’t want to bum them out by waxing medical. Especially when it’s that burly guy leaning out the window of his F-350. Suddenly, there’s an Opening For Smalltalk. So why get all serious?

“You should see the other guy,” I say.

“Atta girl!”

Telling the truth would be a downer. People aren’t expecting to hear the real reason. Just like I never expected it to happen to me.

Sometimes, when I’m trapped in an elevator, a stranger will get the party going first. “How’s the other guy look?” And I oblige by saying, “Worse than me!”

When my bandage was bigger, someone pointed out to me that if I was a victim of domestic abuse, this type of chit-chat would be a uncool. It all kind of is, but what can you do?

It’s been an experience in human reaction. After surgery to remove basal cell carcinoma and a skin graft to cover the wound, when I had huge, white bandages on my nose and ear, I tried not to leave my house, but sometimes I had to. Children stared and didn’t return my smile. Adults averted their eyes. For the most part, I tried to scurry by people without connecting.

One question gets under my skin, so to speak. Because I loved my nose. I even doubled for Sharon Stone in Beautiful Joe (straight to video, if you’re wondering) who is extremely particular about her profile. Which I can totally understand.

So when people ask me, “Did you get a nose job?”

– and someone does, almost every day –

I’m usually pretty blunt:  “No, I had skin cancer.”P1020614This limited edition collection of Mickey Mouse Band-Aids has a good selection for these type of scenarios, like the one I’m wearing in the top photo, with Ms. Mouse socking it to the Mister. Because that Minnie, she doesn’t take shit from anyone. xx