American Cancer Society in Arkansas

My story began in the summer of 2017; I was 24. I had a mole on my stomach that I had had for years. One day, a dark spot popped up on this mole, and my wife began to get worried. At the age I was, I rarely went to the doctor. I was the guy who would always just wait it out and get over it myself. My wife eventually convinced me to go see my primary care physician (PCP) and get the spot checked out. My doctor was concerned about the spot, so he immediately removed it and sent it to a pathology lab. The lab results were obviously not what we wanted to hear; the spot was positive for melanoma. My PCP sent me to a local skin surgeon where he decided to remove a larger portion of the skin on my stomach, and the general surgeon decided it best to remove some lymph nodes as well. After this surgery, the doctors and the pathology reports all agreed that they had removed all the cancer in my body. At this point, my wife and I never really got scared that this was a major problem. From there, it was monthly dermatologist checkups and a few check-ins with my surgeons to ensure everything on my end was good...[more]

Deborah Parsons knows all too well the toll sun exposure can have on your skin. As a skin cancer survivor, she feels led to tell her cancer story and offer strong advice on sun safety so others don’t have to endure a fight like hers. “When I was growing up, the combination of baby oil and iodine was the prescribed tanning lotion,” said Parsons. “I was in the sun as a lifeguard and swim instructor, but the sun ‘worshiping’ didn’t stop there. My job as a physical education teacher and coach had me outside for a lot of the year as well as my own recreational activities. I made a small effort to apply sunscreen haphazardly, not giving a thought to wrinkles or skin cancer.” ..[more]

Now more than ever, cancer patients undergoing treatment need safe and efficient transportation assistance getting to and from facilities. That’s why the American Cancer Society is accelerating the process for re-granting $32,000 in transportation assistance funding to health systems who were awarded this funding in 2019 to offer some relief for cancer patients across Arkansas. These health systems include St. Bernards Medical Center, CHI St. Vincent Cancer Center, and CARTI...[more]

The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT), founded by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is honoring leaders with the 2020 80% In Every Community National Achievement Award, given in recognition of distinguished, ongoing efforts to increase colorectal cancer screening rates across the United States...[more]

Every day, the American Cancer Society is attacking cancer from every angle to help save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer. We partner with volunteers, organizations, and health systems across Arkansas to help with patients’ most pressing needs. We serve people from every corner of the state with trusted information, day-to-day help, and emotional support through our vital patient services and programs...[more]