VILONIA, Ark. — For Tim Sweeney, what began as a simple trip to the doctor in 2018 turned into a fight for his life. At the time, the Vilonia husband and father of two simply wanted a mole on his left temple removed for cosmetic reasons. But after surgery, the results came back: melanoma.

“At first, it was the size of a dime,” Sweeney recalled. “I had a plastic surgeon take that off, and that’s when it was diagnosed as melanoma.”

Over the years, the cancer has returned seven or eight times — each time bringing new surgeries, new rounds of radiation, and new challenges. It came back in the original spot in 2020, then spread to his cheekbone, ribs, pelvis, esophagus, and abdomen.

For a time, treatments managed to slow the spread, often keeping the disease confined to one or two locations.

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