As a volunteer driver who brings older adults to medical appointments, Rick Herrig never expected to become a patient. At age 72, the Mountain Lake man routinely drives people to Mankato Clinic Dermatology at River’s Edge Campus in Saint Peter.
On December 11, 2023, Rick, as usual, joined his passenger in the exam room. While caring for his original patient, Jeffrey Weideman, PA-C, noticed a dark spot behind Rick’s ear and asked if he could take a look.
“I pay attention to details,” Jeff Weideman says.
The dermatology team registered Rick as a new patient, booked a visit, and Jeff examined the lesion. Jeff suspected melanoma and recommended a biopsy, in which a sample of tissue is removed for closer examination under a microscope.
“He caught it at the right time,” Rick says.
Biopsy results were positive for melanoma, the most serious skin cancer because it can spread from the skin to other parts of the body. Since the cancer was in a complex location, Jeff referred Rick to Dr. Paul Bandelin, Mankato Clinic’s Mohs surgeon, for the removal procedure.
“We prescheduled the next step. Timewise, I was very happy with that. They didn’t wait,” Rick says. “I’ve had A1 treatment at this facility.”
His surgery was completed on January 10, 2024, less than four weeks from that first visit. When melanoma is found early, it can be effectively treated and easily removed, which prevents the cancer from growing and spreading to other parts of the body.
“Early treatment is very important for all types of skin cancers to minimize the risk associated with the cancer. Waiting can allow skin cancers to grow larger, and rarely, metastasize and spread through the body if left untreated,” Jeff explains. “Timing also greatly affects the size of excision and the resulting scar.”
As a retired medical technologist, Rick’s volunteer gig is a perfect fit. Rick spent 40+ years in hospital laboratories, where he conducted tests and visited patients to perform blood draws. He worked at Mountain Lake, Springfield and Fairmont hospitals before retiring in 2018. Not only is he comfortable and knowledgeable about the medical world, he also has commuted a half-million miles!
“I was just a driver,” Rick said to Jeff. “You didn’t have to get me in, but you did. I appreciate that you guys are the good guys.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Jeff assured Rick.
The surgeon removed the melanoma and lab reports confirmed that the margins were clear and no active cancer cells were present. Sometimes patients return for a second procedure to enlarge the margins and remove potentially harmful cells.
“I was appreciative that he did a nice thorough job,” Rick says. “It’s not a visible scar. The surgeon did a beautiful job.”
Essential Follow-up Care
All skin cancers require follow-up care and full-body skin exams at increased frequency.
“A diagnosis of melanoma requires a more intensive check-up schedule over the next five years due to an increased risk of having a second melanoma diagnosed,” Jeff says.
Rick’s schedule began with full-body skin exams every 3 months. In these exams, a dermatology provider uses a dermatoscope, a handheld magnifying lens, to examine the skin, nails, scalp and hair. Jeff also freezes pre-cancer spots, called actinic keratoses, which can progress into squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer that originates in the squamous cells.
After several clean exams with no cancer detected, Rick graduated to skin checks every 6 months. Next up are yearly skin exams.
“Jeff is very personable. Jeff has been very pleasant and the staff has welcomed me. Most of our visits now are about our families. We visit about his kids, his dog, my kids and all those kinds of things,” Rick says.
Rick and his wife, Janice, raised five children, enjoy spending time with their 12 grandchildren, and stay active in their church. Rick also volunteers Monday-Thursday mornings at Mountain Lake Elementary School, where he reads with first graders. Almost every day, there’s a race to get to Mr. Herrig.
“That’s my goal in life – to help anyone learn how to read or discover that it’s fun to read,” Rick says. “I believe you need that encouragement. I don’t read to the kids. I sit with them and if they have hard words they don’t know, I help.”
Then there’s his woodworking, he makes cedar chests for all his girls and he’s working on a sea chest for his son’s retirement from the Navy. On the chest, Rick is carving the aircraft carrier on which his son is serving.
He also enjoys camping. When he’s outside, he wears a shirt and long pants; only wearing shorts when he goes swimming. He also wears a baseball cap and applies sunscreen on his face, neck and arms. When he was a teen and young man, he worked as a brick layer in his dad’s construction business.
“These days, I’m more concerned for my children and now my grandchildren. Everybody wants to have that tan look,” Rick says.
By protecting himself from the sun, watching for spots, and visiting Jeff Weideman, PA-C, for routine skin exams, Rick is taking steps to limit the harmful effects of skin cancer.
Skin cancer prevention is important for grandparents and grandchildren alike!