The Tragic Death of a Marine from Misdiagnosed Melanoma

By now most of you have heard about the US Iraq war veteran, Marine Corps Sgt. Carmelo Rodriguez, who died from melanoma at 29-years old.

Unfortunately, his melanoma was misdiagnosed by military physicians in Iraq. Eight years later it cost him his life. This video from CBS is about 8 minutes long. It is graphic and poignant. You won’t soon forget it.

This is the kind of thing that keeps me up at night. If you have a new or changing mole, a mole that is asymmetric, has irregular borders, has more than one color, or is larger than a pencil eraser in diameter, then make an appointment to see your physician to have it examined.

Melanoma is uncommon but can be deadly. It can be cured if it is caught early and removed completely.

See also: Skin Care Myths: It’s Normal for Moles to Change During Pregnancy

March 16, 2008 | Filed Under Dermatology News, Melanoma 

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2 Responses to “The Tragic Death of a Marine from Misdiagnosed Melanoma”

  1. Trusted.MD Network on March 20th, 2008 6:16 am

    MedBlog Power 8…

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  2. Trusted.MD Network on March 21st, 2008 2:55 am

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