LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18)– May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and a UK Football player is sharing his journey with the disease on the Today Show to help educate others.
On the Today Show, Joshua Paschal admitted that skin cancer was a battle he never thought he’d have to tackle.
“Just for me, I never even knew I had to put on sunscreen. I just thought the pigment in my skin was enough… but actually, you do have to put on a lot of sunscreen, you have to go through those annual skin checks because you never know what can pop up in your skin,” he said.
Last summer, at 19-years-old, Paschal noticed what looked like a blister on his foot. He went to a podiatrist, who recommended seeing a dermatologist.
“Once I went there, that’s when they took a chunk out and took it for a biopsy. I’m young, so I’m thinking this can’t happen to me,” said Paschal.
He was diagnosed with an aggressive, rare form of Melanoma. He went in for surgery and they learned it was deeper than what they thought and more progressive.
He has since needed follow-up surgeries and still requires and still requires immuno-therapy, but he’s made a triumphant return to the field, cancer-free. He hopes his story will help save the lives of others.
