by Dave Weiman
Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine April/May 2024 Digital Issue
(L/R) Dave Weiman with lifelong friend, Ken Lundquist, at Duluth International Airport (KDLH) to clear U.S. Customs following the Canada Fishing Fly-Out to Miminiska Lodge, Ontario (CPS5) in 2018. Pete Aarsvold Photo
“Melanoma” is a form of skin cancer. When it spreads to other places in the body, it’s called “Metastatic Melanoma,” or advanced skin cancer, sometimes referred to as “Stage IV Melanoma.”
Melanoma can spread to tissue under the skin, lymph nodes, lungs, the liver and brain and cause death. Melanomas occur in the cells (melanocytes) that produce the melanin which gives skin its color. The main cause of melanoma is exposure to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight.
The fairer our skin type, and the lighter our hair and eye color, the more likely we can develop skin cancer.
Although Metastatic Melanoma cannot be cured, there are treatments that can help us live longer. There are also steps that we can take to prevent skin cancer from occurring in the first place, by wearing broad-brimmed hats, long-sleeve shirts, and pants, and applying sunscreen to avoid getting sunburn.
Dr. John Beasley, M.D. (Aviation Medical Examiner, Professor Emeritus and Clinical Professor with the Department of Family Medicine – University of Wisconsin – Madison) wrote an article for our “High On Health” section in Midwest Flyer Magazine entitled “How Much Sun Is Too Much – Or Not Enough?” I encourage you to read the article which is posted on the Midwest Flyer Magazine website (https://midwestflyer.com/?p=6857).
I am dedicating this editorial in loving memory of my longtime friend, fellow musician and flying companion, Kenneth Vernon Lundquist of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who died of “Metastatic Melanoma” on December 12, 2023. Ken was just 73, and leaves behind a wife who he was married to for 50 years, two daughters and two grandsons. Ken grew up an only child with two blind parents and devoted his life to helping others as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, facility manager, and executive, and music as a professional musician. May Ken’s illness and this article help others to prevent all forms of skin cancer.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this article, and the “High On Health” column mentioned, is the expressed opinion of the authors only! Readers are urged to seek the advice of their personal physician and medical specialists for additional information pertaining to this subject and others discussed herein Midwest Flyer Magazine.
