Photography And Half-Thoughts By Mitchell Hegman

...because some of it is pretty and some of it is not.

Friday, April 24, 2026

Thanks, Dad — Thanks, Sun

Among other things, I inherited a bad scalp from my father. As an adult, he was allergic to sunlight and lived accordingly, keeping to the shade and rarely stepping outside without a hat.

While I’m not directly allergic to the sun, my skin is damaged (and now revolting) due to too much exposure as a creek-swimming, field-wandering kid who never wore a hat.

Presently, I am battling psoriasis, folliculitis, and actinic keratoses (pre-cancer). A couple of years ago, I had a spot of squamous cell carcinoma (yes, actual cancer) sliced from my forearm. Strangely, I didn’t feel a thing, during or after, which is notable because I am, by reputation and repeated demonstration, a bit of a baby about such matters.

So, as it stands, it appears I’m one malady away from using every letter of the alphabet. Not that there is any value in that.

Mitchell Hegman

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