The condition: John Heaton was looking forward to escaping the winter blahs by spending a couple of months in Florida. Before he left, he paid a visit to Dr. Thomas Guglielmo, his podiatrist at New Milford Orthopedics, for his routine nail care. Dr. Guglielmo noticed that one of John’s toenails was discolored and had a small growth beneath it that occasionally bled. Dr. Guglielmo was concerned and wanted to take off the nail and biopsy the growth. John deferred saying he would have his dermatologist look at it when he went for his appointment the following week. The dermatologist felt there was no cause for worry and John left for Florida to play golf. Dr. Guglielmo’s office called John in Florida 6 weeks later to follow up. When Dr. Guglielmo heard nothing had been done, he insisted that John come into the office immediately upon his return. Good thing he did: Dr. Guglielmo biopsied the growth, which turned out to be acral lentiginous malignant melanoma, a form of melanoma that occurs on the hands, feet, and below the nails. The simple in-office biopsy, which takes just a few minutes, made all the difference. The treatment: Melanoma is a form of cancer that can spread and be fatal if left unchecked. Statistically, there is an increased mortality rate from acral lentiginous melanoma because it often goes unnoticed or undiagnosed in its early stages when it is easiest to treat. Dr. Guglielmo’s persistence and experience was a lifesaver for John. Within 3 weeks, John was in the hospital for surgery to remove the entire toe, which contained the growth and prevented any chance for the malignancy to spread. The result: John may have lost his toe, but he got his life. He says, “Dr. Guglielmo is a terrific gentleman, a caring individual, and a true professional. His thoroughness saved my life.” John is back to his annual trips to Florida and playing golf, and also sees Dr. Guglielmo twice a year for his foot care. Dr. Guglielmo notes, “We care about our patients and go the extra mile to ensure that they get the best treatment.”