Fox host Mike Jerrick discovers he has skin cancer while live on air
Good Day Philadelphia co-host Mike Jerrick was told he had skin cancer after a dermatologist looked at a spot on his arm on air.
FOX News host discovers he has skin cancer live on-air
A Fox 29 host was left stunned as he discovered he had skin cancer during a live TV broadcast with a dermatologist.
Mike Jerrick, co-host of Good Day Philadelphia, was presenting a segment on the warning signs and prevention of the disease when he was given the surprising news on Wednesday.
During their discussion, Dr Joanna Walker, from the Tara Miller Melanoma Center at the University of Pennsylvania, inspected a spot on Mike’s right elbow and said it was basal cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer.
The dermatologist said, “It has all the features of the most common type of skin cancer, which is also very treatable when it’s caught early.”
She then told the TV host he would need to have the spot removed, to which he replied, “What are you gonna do to it? Burn it off?”
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After the shocking discovery, Mike spoke to Fox News Digital saying he wanted to get his skin checked out but he didn’t think the spots could actually be skin cancer.
“I did say that we should have her bring her [micro]scope because I wanted to check out a couple of things on my arms, so that part was planned, but I never really thought it was going to be skin cancer,” he said.
The journalist said Dr Walker immediately recognized it, saying, “When she blurted it out, I didn’t get alarmed or anything. It was just like, ‘Oh dang, I should have done this a long time ago.'”
He added, “I was more shocked that she said she was going to cut it out instead of burn it off – that’s where I got surprised.”
Mike is scheduled to have the cancerous spot removed on Friday, he said, adding, “I should be fine. She’ll just suture me up and I’ll be on my way.”
He also urged any person who noticed similar markings or skin changes to get checked as soon as possible.
Basal cell carcinoma often appears as a slightly transparent bump on the skin, though it can take other forms, and occurs most often on areas of the skin that are exposed to the sun, such as your head and neck, the Mayo Clinic explains.
Most basal cell carcinomas are thought to be caused by long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight.
