A dermatologist approached me about a spot on my face — it was cancer
It was a Christmas miracle that may have saved a man’s life.
Dr. Chelsey Straight and Dr. Christopher Chu, married dermatologists, couldn’t help but notice a concerning spot on a fellow passenger’s face while aboard a Christmas-themed train in November.
The Texans decided to wait until the end of the two-hour excursion to approach the man, Chris Meffen, who was seated with his family.
Straight and Chu feared Meffen’s spot could be melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
“I know this might seem weird, but I just am a dermatologist,” Straight recalled to Insider about approaching Meffen. “I wondered if you’d ever had anybody look at it?”
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Meffen told the doctors he hadn’t — despite urging from his wife and other medical professionals.
Meffen claimed he first noticed the spot around 2017, but his wife said it had been around “longer than that.”
Straight and Chu had recently opened a dermatology clinic, Pure Dermatology in Austin, and offered to see Meffen for a biopsy. Two days later, Meffen had an appointment on the books.
The couple’s assumption was correct — Meffen was diagnosed with early stage melanoma.
He had surgery that removed 75% of the lesion, followed by two more visits to finish the job.
“It was a big blessing,” Meffen, who is now cancer-free, told Texas TV station KXAN. “Forever grateful to Dr. Straight for being on that train ride that day.”
![A dermatologist approached a man about a spot on his face — it was cancer](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000013401065.jpg?w=300)
Meffen has returned to the couple’s clinic for checkups. He and his wife were also planning to undergo skin cancer screenings at the location.
The Post has contacted Straight and Chu for comment.
![A dermatologist approached a man about a spot on his face — it was cancer](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000013400903.jpg?w=1024)
Melanoma marks can often fly under the radar. One woman shared her story about how a manicurist in Scotland spotted a thin brown streak under her nail and refused to give her a manicure, urging her to go to the doctor instead.
Another woman shrugged off the tiny “regular mole” near her ankle before it was determined to be a melanoma.