Dave Canales on the importance of cancer screenings
Canales came into his press conference in his normal long-sleeve dry-fit shirt and the occasionally worn hat. But he also had a small bandage on the left side of his nose, the result of a recent procedure to remove a basal cell carcinoma.
For a guy who grew up in the sun in Southern California and makes a living outdoors, it was a visible reminder of the risk of sun exposure. A few months ago, a group including Dr. Gilly Munavalli from Dermatology, Laser, and Vein Specialists of the Carolinas checked over the staff.
"So this is my opportunity to say go get screened," Canales said. "This is something that can be caught and detected early; they took care of it and took care of me, so I'm really appreciative of them.
"My mom had the same thing when she was in her 40s, and so I've been very religious about my sunscreen and 50 to 70 (SPF) nose, ears, and neck, but you can imagine a Southern California kid playing outdoor sports and then getting into coaching. It's just a good reminder, right? Just making sure we don't take these things for granted."
Of course, they told him after the procedure to avoid certain things, which could have impacted what he referred to as "an above-average practice" in terms of tempo, though the execution was good.
"I think there's another level of exertion that we can go to," he said. "I was advised not to run or yell because of my surgery, so pretty much I can't, ... What I do is I run, and I yell. There were some moments where I wish we could have given a little bit more effort on both sides chasing the ball down."