“I wouldn’t miss it”: cancer survivor tells his Live Well Bayou story

Last weekend’s Live Well Bayou screening event, held on the Terrebonne General campus in partnership with Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and sponsored by Cenac Marine in Houma, was a tremendous success. Although the stats tell part of the story – 142 people screened, 257 total screenings provided – numbers alone don’t give a full sense of just how important these screenings are.

For the real impact of Live Well events, and how they change lives, it’s good to talk to people like Roy Mattingly. Roy, a Houma local, was on the ground getting screened last weekend, just like he’d done so many times before. “I’ve been going to Live Well events for years,” Roy said. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Roy’s punctual attendance has paid off. His family history of cancer is one of the reasons he is so diligent about getting screened – among others, both his uncles had prostate cancer – and, when he noticed a spot on the end of his nose, he knew it was something worth checking out.

Roy initially visited his dermatologist to check on the spot, but they came up empty-handed. “They said it wasn’t nothing, but I knew I needed to get a second opinion,” Roy said.

When Live Well Bayou came around, Roy knew it was his chance. It turned out that the spot was basal cell carcinoma which, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, is the most common form of skin cancer and the most frequently occurring form of all cancers. While basal cell carcinoma can be taken care of with minimal treatments if caught early, it can cause serious and debilitating problems if left untreated.

“It was just like a little piece of sand,” Roy said. “If I hadn’t gone and gotten it checked I’d probably still have it on the end of my nose right now. I’m really grateful they found it.”

The nurse practitioner who discovered the cancer helped Roy organize an appointment to get it taken care of, which he promptly did. Two years later he’s cancer free, and he still annually attends Live Well events.

“It’s a great thing y’all do,” he said. “I was on the radio this year and I told them that you’ve got to get out here and catch the problem early. That’s really what you need to do.”

Live Well events are held throughout Louisiana and southwest Mississippi. Live Well Bayou is sponsored by Cenac Marine and has provided critical funding to ensure free screenings to thousands of people just like Roy. This year, 44% of those screened were uninsured, while 31% had never been screened before. Terrebonne General’s Mobile CARE Clinic also provided an additional 28 biometric wellness screenings.

For more information about other upcoming screening events in the Bayou Region, please visit https://marybird.org/services/get-screened/