It was just a bump on his neck. It was quarter-sized and tender and had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The man ignored the bump because it didn't hurt.
It was a small thing, really. One, lone police officer had been convicted of fraud. He would serve a light sentence in prison, but the community would not be affected.
The bump on the man's neck grew a little larger. He was not especially concerned and he comforted himself, "It will go away on it's own. Bodies are weird, ya know?"
Three more cops were indicted, with the vein of corruption running deeper than previously thought. The media had the stories running for three consecutive nights, but the details were demoted to the newspapers after that.
Unexplained headaches, nausea and pain started for the man. They were not sudden, acute symptoms, but rather gradual and quite an annoyance. The man purchased over the counter medications, and he felt slightly better.
With the dirty cops cleaned out of the Police Department, an internal review was conducted. More officers were suspected in the crimes, but only as facilitators. No charges were filed.
The man's wife noticed his personality changes. His moods were swinging from depression to mania, and the bump on his neck was now a full-sized knot. She took him to see his doctor.
Whispers of the mayor's involvement started. How much damage had actually been done to the community? Where were the funds, the federal aid, that had been much discussed amongst the townspeople. Where had the money gone?
It was cancer, a tumor in his salivary glands, that was now threatening his very life. The doctor recommended chemotherapy and radiation. The man agreed and arrangements were made.
The mayor was behind it all. He had embezzled millions. He accepted bribes, gave preferential city contracts to personal friends and spent taxpayer money on his lavish, adulterous lifestyle. He was taken into federal custody and the federal government moved in to restore stability.
The chemotherapy and radiation helped at first. The man felt better, but the tumor refused to shrink. He experienced side effects: burned skin, dysphagia, memory loss and severe diarrhea. He was hospitalized for dehydration.
The federal government stayed until a new mayor was elected. The city was broke, however, and the citizens lost faith in their leaders. The new mayor resigned and the town scrambled to elect a new leader.
The doctor gave him less than a month to live. Aggressive repopulation, the doctor had said, citing the man's late recognition of the lump on his neck. If he had come in just a month earlier, he might have lived. As it was, he was heavily sedated, made comfortable, and allowed to drift painlessly into the after life. His family was devastated, but they carried on.
The city would need federal aid indefinitely. The citizens continued their lives, albeit much poorer. Crime was rampant and the population dropped significantly. Businesses moved on and the city's only sports team, a baseball franchise, moved to brighter horizons.
Life goes on. It always has, it always will. That doesn't mean we can't see that thing in the mirror, right in front of us, and address the problem before it's too late. Being proactive has always been superior to being reactive. Always.
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