The Ribbon Is Black for a Reason
How Melanoma Changed My Life in Four Short Months
by
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"This is not mastoiditis," the head doctor of the ear, nose and throat team at Strong Memorial Hospital announced on July 20, 2010 in the emergency room. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Galusha. If this was mastoiditis you would have a raging ear infection. We don't see any sign of an ear infection. This is most likely a tumor. You have a very large tumor in your pelvic region as well. We were able to look at your CT scan from yesterday. We can't say for sure, but, considering that you have tumors in two different locations it's most likely cancer." I literally felt the floor fall away from my feet at the sound of the doctor's preliminary diagnosis. I began to shake uncontrollably. Jerry glanced over at me and said without emotion, "I'm screwed."
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About the Book
In 1997 Jerry Galusha had a mole removed from his back left calf. The mole had changed which caused concern. It was biopsied and determined to be malignant. The mole was surgically removed and after a short recovery period it was all but forgotten. Yearly skin and lymph node checks kept his concerns about melanoma at bay until an unusual, relentless pain in the back of his head led to an MRI that unvailed the horrible truth; Jerry had stage IV metastisized malignant melanoma. His cancer had spread, undetected, all throughout his body over the course of that 13 years. Jerry's illness taught his friends and family the meaning of unconditional love. This is the story of the love, support, courage and devotion of a family and community to Jerry Galusha during the 4 months of the remainder of his life; a life that was cut short from malignant melanoma.
About the Author
Nancy A. Midey Galusha was born on November 9, 1963 in Seneca Falls, NY. She has an associate’s degree in child development from the former Maria Regina College, a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Cortland in elementary education, a master’s degree from Elmira College in elementary education, and a Masters Degree from Mansfield University in school library and information technology. She taught elementary school for twenty-two years at Romulus Central School in Romulus, NY and began her library career in 2009 at Seneca Falls Middle School, Seneca Falls, NY. She is the mother of two sons: Daniel, twenty, who is a student at SUNY Fredonia; and Phillip, sixteen, who is a sophomore at Mynderse Academy, Seneca Falls, NY. She was married to Gerard “Jerry” Galusha for almost twenty years before he died of malignant melanoma at the age of forty-six on November 5, 2010. She resides with her sons in Seneca Falls, NY and enjoys reading, writing, being a mother, and attending her sons’ school activities, especially soccer, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse games.