A woman spots a man’s possible skin cancer through TikTok
A New York-based Tik Toker Alex Griswold, 24 often uses the app to post lighthearted videos featuring his family and his wife. One such video, titled “Here’s what it’s like being married”, went viral and caught the attention of several Tik-Tokers, including Lizzie Wells, who knew something wasn’t quite right as soon as she watched it.
Griswold’s silly video about his marriage featured a scene in which his wife is popping pimples on his back. In the frame, viewers can see some of his moles- and one of them looked abnormal. Lizzie is a melanoma survivor. She said, “If you can prevent some kind of trauma or a death or some kind of heartache like you really want to, you really want to be a part of that team that can make a difference, and while we’re sitting here, we’ve saved someone’s life, so I’m just really ecstatic.”
Lizzie, who is studying to become a neurosurgeon, was determined to get through to Griswold, commenting on his post and tracking down his e-mail address.
“This isn’t just something like, ‘Hey, how is ya doing?’ It was something he really needed to know,” Lizzie said.
After seeing Lizzie’s and another Tik-Tok user’s comments, Griswold made an appointment to see the dermatologist. There, he was told that his mole was indeed dangerous. He was told that the issue is resolved for the time being, but that “there still is a chance” the growth could return.
“I wouldn’t have gone to a dermatologist for years and years and years, so when I realized it was serious, I was just really happy that Lizzie reached out,” Griswold said.
Without TikTok, the mole could have turned into cancer.
Griswold said, “If the doctor hadn’t told me that — she said, ‘The person who told you this probably saved your life.’ I mean, it wasn’t a for-sure thing, but if I had gone without getting it checked out and it did turn into skin cancer, then I probably wouldn’t have had any idea.”
Griswold made a follow-up video called “here’s how Tik-Tok saved my life” to tell the story of what happened, thank the commenters who insisted he get his back checked and remind us of all that the world can be a wonderful place.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the country.
Sources:
- https://youtu.be/rqXTbpXTIuw
- https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/tiktok-app-skin-cancer-melanoma-macon-woman-man-skin/93-60d4c3a3-e9d3-4640-bac5-448ee8063ba6
- https://www.goalcast.com/woman-notices-something-wrong-saves-a-life-thanks-to-a-comment-on-tik-tok/
- https://www.timesnownews.com/viral/one-second-tiktok-clip-saved-mans-life-averted-skin-cancer-article-90185838
- https://readloud.net/
About Author
