Stage I

Melinda Bentley

Exactly 11 years ago today I had plastic surgery to remove a malignant melanoma on my back. I was only 25 at the time. In some ways it was a blessing to be so young because I was somewhat naïve to what "malignant melanoma" meant and how bad it could have been if caught too late. I visited a dermatologist to have her remove some moles on my face - for completely cosmetic reasons. She insisted on a full skin check. It was the first time I had ever had a full skin check.

She found a suspicious mole between my shoulder blades. Coincidentally, it was the same mole that my husband told me was green following a severe sunburn on a cruise about three months earlier. I wasn't concerned. After all, I burned at least once per summer. Not to mention my multiple years of tanning bed use. I was a pro when it came to tanning...at least that's what I thought. That suspicious mole was a Clark's Level II malignant melanoma.

Fortunately, it was found early and one giant scoop out of my back was all it took to remove all cancer cells. I have since had about 19 surgeries on various spots on my arms, back, legs, and stomach to remove pre-cancerous moles. I have skin checks twice per year at this point. I have two-year-old twins who already know what sunscreen is and won't go to the pool without their "sunshine lotion."

I had the pleasure of knowing and working with Jim Schlipman. His battle with melanoma made this so much more real for me. I believe in this fight and want to help educate people like the 25-year-old sun lover who had no clue 11 years ago. I am blessed to be melanoma free!

December 16, 2009

Melinda Bentley

36 Years Old

Melanoma Free

Colleen Sawaia

I started using the tanning beds to tan for my Junior Prom. From there, I would go tanning during only the summers. When I was in college, I would go on and off during the year. The last 3 years, I went consistently ranging from once every 10 days to 2 times per week. The important thing to see here is that I never really burned and I tanned very easily. I did not go to the beach often, but when I did, I never used sunscreen. The fact that I was young, with no family history of skin cancer, and that I rarely burned made me think I would never get skin cancer.

One day when I was putting on lotion, I thought I felt something on my left buttock. I looked to see what it was and it was a very small, slightly pink, almost flesh colored bump. I thought maybe I touched one of the tanning bulbs and got a little burn there. I didn't really give any more thought to it. Over the next year, the bump got slightly bigger and more pink in color. I went to a dermatologist and explained my concern. I told her I did go tanning and I noticed this new thing on my buttock. She took one look at it and said it is nothing to worry about. She told me it was smaller then a pencil eraser, it was all one color and even edged, and basically it was just a new mole. She made me feel stupid for being concerned. She told me that they don't like to remove things don't need to be removed, and just to keep an eye on it.

So, I watched it, and really thought if a dermatologist said I was ok, then I must be. I continued tanning and the spot did get bigger. It grew very slowly, it remained pink, but darkened to a deep pink now and it didn't hurt or bleed. It was perfectly round and all the same color. I thought oh no, melanoma means it would have to be dark brown, or black and uneven colored, with an irregular border.

I finally went to my PCP about 2 years after this started growing. She was a NP and thought it could be something, but not skin cancer. She recommended I make an appointment with the doctor to look at it. Well I made the appointment that day. The earliest I could get was about 4 weeks away. I ended-up having to cancel it. I rescheduled as soon as I could.

By the time I saw the doctor the area had grown even more. It now developed a light brown color to the outer portion of the mole. So the mole was still completely round, but the outter ring of the mole was now brown. The doctor told me I had ring worm and gave me an ointment to use. I tried to explain that this spot had changed color and I have had it for about 3 years and it continued to grow. He told me he didn't want to remove it because it was nothing serious. So, I used the cream and of course nothing happened. I never went back to him.

I am a nurse and was working at Beth Israel Deaconnes in Boston at this time. I had a patient one day who was 52 and just diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma with about 6 months to live. This man had a scab on his head that didn't heal, so he went to he doctor and just got this diagnosis. It had now spread to his lungs, brain and bones in a matter of a few weeks. As I watched this poor man receive this grave, awful, terrifying news, I thought to myself he is so young. This was such a shock. I need to get checked.

I made an appointment with a new PCP there at BI and she gave me a referral to see a dermatologist. I had the appointment, still expecting it wouldn't be anything serious, maybe basal cell carcinoma. The doctor took one look at it and said it doesn't look good and it needed to be removed. My heart started pounding and I started crying. I was so scared of the unknown.

They took the biopsy and called me about a week later with the results. Sure enough it was melanoma. I still couldn't believe it. I was 24 years old. I don't know why I thought that just because I was young I was immune to this. I just sat there silent for a minute and then asked ok, now what? The nurse said I would have to come in and get a bigger area removed. That was the only explanation I got.

I went in for the next surgery and was completely shocked to the extent of skin/tissue that needed to be removed. They decided to remove a little more than usual because I was so young and they wanted to be sure they got everything. They removed tissue down to the muscle and I think I had about 76 stitches total. It was a bit traumatic because I was going to be left with a huge scar and indent to my butt. It may sound vain, but it bothered me to know I just had a huge chunk of my body removed. Luckily, all that tissue they removed came back clear. I was diagnosed with Stage I, Clark's Level 2 Melanoma.

The recovery was uncomfortable and there are still days where the area aches.

I still don't have any feeling to that area. It has now been about a year and half since this happened and I still can't believe it.

I look at that scar every day and it is a constant reminder of my melanoma. It reminds me that I am not invincible and that this is real. I won't lie and say I don't miss tanning, but I have not gone since. I'm just mad at myself, that I let vanity get in the way. Yes, you might feel prettier, or better being tan, but is it really worth your life? I am proof that you really do never know what can happen, and I am not the typical high risk person.

I just want to get my message across to young people and let them know it can happen to you. Even if you don't have fair skin, even if you never burn, even if you are young, it can happen.

My prognosis is good and my chances of reoccurrence are low, but I still don't want to risk having more scars and pieces of my body removed. You can't predict where it might strike next and that is just it, this disease is unpredictable.

There are times where I worry myself sick and get depressed about it, but I have to remind myself that I have to just live my life and be more careful. I always use SPF 70 when I know I will be outside in the sun. I limit any time I do spend in the sun and I don't go in the sun for the purpose of tanning. If I go to the beach, I sit under an umbrella.

I am still so thankful that I had that patient that day and in my eyes he was my angel sent from God to give me that push to go get checked. His unfortunate and tragic situation helped save someone else's life, hopefully my story can do the same.

Colleen Sawaia

26 years young

11/18/2009

J. Allyson Cummings

Angels are everywhere. They're at the grocery store - the old woman whose eyes still twinkle. They can come into your life and be gone just as quickly. They're parents of your child's friends, or at least my angel was. We're not in contact any more, but I still consider her my "angel." When my daughter was 7, she started playing soccer. You soccer parents out there know how fleeting these relationships are with other soccer parents - they last about as long as the soccer season does!

My angel was a nurse at a local hospital. We would sit on the side lines, talking about our work life, our girls, our difficulties as single parents. She came to one practice, particularly upset about her day. A young single mother had come in to get the results of a mole biopsy, and it had come back Stage IV melanoma. The doctors gave her weeks to live. I never met this woman, but between the two of them, they saved my life. My angel explained to me the importance of getting moles checked out. That story scared me enough to begin to get my moles examined.

I started getting them checked in 2005 by a local plastic surgeon that specializes in skin cancers. He has been specializing in this field for over 30 years, and my mother recommended him to me. My father had gone to him, and had 2 moles removed that turned out to be basil cell carcinoma. Every year, except for 2008 when I was married, I would go get checked, and he remove a couple of mole. So, when I had 2 more moles removed in April, 2009, I thought it would be no different than the previous years. Imagine my disbelief when his nurse called me on April 22^nd and told me that the results were back, and the Dr. wanted to discuss them with me. I was at work, and started shaking and didn't stop until my husband and I arrived at the doctor's office. The doctor walked in, and with no preamble, said "Well, this is the stage I like to catch melanoma." What?! Surgery, wide local excision, was scheduled for the very next day, followed by 4 weeks of recovery at home. Luckily, my employer is extremely understanding!

Within a matter of months, I had learned more medical terminology than I cared to know; PET scans, wide excision, cancer. My PET came back clean, which is exciting, and basically, my doctor owns me for the next 5 years - you know the drill, every 3 months I go in and get a "visual scan" to determine which moles come off next. I had 2 removed a month ago that he said it was a good thing we got now, because they're the kind that develop into melanoma.

The numbness has still not worn off. Some days, this happened to someone else, and I'm watching a documentary about their experience. Others, I want to rant and rave - basically want to rip someone a new one. Happily, most days, I want to find my "angel" and thank her for saving my life.

J. Allyson Cummings

(I'm the bride in the photo)

11/6/2009

Barbara Newman

In July 2002, I heard the word I never expected to hear: CANCER. I went to a dermatologist because a mole on my lower-left leg started to change color. I was devastated with the diagnosis: stage I melanoma. Immediately, I went on the Internet to learn about melanoma. The information I found was not promising and convinced me I was going to die.

I went to a wonderful oncologist, and, with his help, I enrolled in the Sunbelt Melanoma Trial. For the next several months, I went through anxiety, fear, and depression over the unknown even though I had a promising prognosis.

I discovered The Schlip Miles for Melanoma Walk in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and I began to feel better. At the walk, I learned that there are many stage II, III, and IV survivors. Every year, I participate in The Schlip Miles for Melanoma Walk (now, Aim for a Cure Miles for Melanoma Walk) because it makes me feel good and gives me a chance to meet other warriors.

I am vigilant about my health, and by the grace of God I am in remission. The only hope for cure beyond early detection is through research. Early detection can only be possible through public awareness and education.

Jane Lohrentz

My mole (melanoma) appeared during my first pregnancy in 2004. I brought it to the attention of my OBGYN and was told that it was not unusual to grow new moles during pregnancy. Soon after, I was pregnant again and the mole kept getting bigger and uglier.

In 2006, just 6 weeks after my baby was born and my older daughter was two, I was diagnosed Stage 1B Melanoma - a Breslow depth .8mm and Clark's level IV.

I had visited my Primary Care Physician (PCP) thinking I had a basal cell carcinoma on my shoulder. While the doctor was removing the lesion, vanity made me ask him to remove the ugly mole on my left, upper arm.

To my surprise, he called a week later and told me I had cancer. The lesion on my shoulder was basal cell... and the ugly mole on my arm was Melanoma!

My head began spinning. Did someone punch me in the stomach? I think I'm going to throw up... shock... am I going to die? What happens next? Will I leave my husband and two babies to fend for themselves? These were just some of the thoughts and feelings I experienced during the following moments. Everything was a blur.

My PCP referred me to a skin cancer surgeon, who then referred me to a surgical oncologist doing a study on melanoma patients. The next step was to have a wide local excision (WLE) to surgically remove the melanoma. I was also encouraged to have a sentinel node biopsy (SNB) at the same time to determine if the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes.

Waiting to hear the results was agonizing. When rocking my daughter to sleep, the tears would flow from my eyes. I could not stop wondering if I would get to see her grow up. I realized I was not invincible.

Six days later, my husband and I received the results in the doctor's office. God's grace gave me a peace and I was ready to hear the outcome, whatever it was. It was excellent news. No traces of melanoma found in the two nodes they removed. I was still Stage 1 - the best possible news given the situation.

I go for skin checks every 3 months - which is so important. A year after my initial diagnosis, my doctor found another suspicious mole that turned out to be a melanoma in-situ. Nothing new has come up since then. I check my skin once a month to look for any changing moles and keep up with my doctor's appointments.

I've settled into a comfort zone and have accepted my situation as one of good news. The anxiety lessens and life goes on. I'm careful about my exposure to UV radiation and stay out of the sun as much as possible during the mid-day hours. I also wear sun protective clothing if I go outdoors for any length of time.

I've found comfort in talking with others in the same situation. Participating in melanoma walks and events have been helpful. I'm thankful for all the blessings given to me. I have a new appreciation for people and simple joys in this life... and am grateful to God for it all. I will be okay, no matter what happens. Melanoma is not going to control my life.

My hope is that a cure for melanoma will be found so that no one suffers unnecessarily.

Parker Dalton

Parker's lifelong dream was to play college baseball.

After being recruited by numerous schools, Parker chose to play at Texas A&M. In the summer of 2006, Parker realized that he had to have surgery on his shoulder. It had been a difficult decision on whether or not to even go back to A&M. His past season had not been his best and the coach had told him that he would probably sit on the bench his senior year. After much deliberation, Parker decided that he would go back to A&M and have shoulder surgery. In regards to sitting on the bench, he said, "If someone was going to play above him, Parker would help that player be the best he could be." Parker truly is the definition of a team player.

Parker had shoulder surgery and was excited to go back to school and start fall baseball. My mom made him go to a routine dermatologist appointment in which the doctor removed a mole from his back. Later that week, the doctor called my mom to tell her that Parker had melanoma. Parker had surgery at MD Anderson in which they removed more of the area on his back and his lymph nodes to see if the cancer had spread. His doctor and the whole team at MD Anderson were incredible. If the cancer had spread, Parker would have had to go through treatment and baseball would not be an option. Thankfully, the doctors removed all the cancer and Parker did not have to go through radiation or chemotherapy. Parker still had to sit out of fall ball due to the surgery. The doctors would not even let him throw a baseball.

Finally, in the spring, Parker, would play ball again. He had been through many trials so far that year. He had shoulder surgery and then he had melanoma and couldn't play the whole fall. Parker was content with the fact that he had not picked up a baseball in months and would spend his senior year on the bench. He did not start the first couple of games of the season but soon began to start again. Parker's batting average at one point was one to the top 3 in the Big 12. Newspapers and radio stations started calling Parker's season a miracle and The Comeback Story of the Year. A&M won the big 12 tournament and went to the Super Regionals.

Through all of this, Parker let God have all the glory and was able to share his faith with a wide audience due to what he had been through. Parker had the best season of his career that year and was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in June 2007. Parker's lifelong dream had been to play college baseball and 2007 was one for the record books. God blessed him with the ability, not to have baseball stop when he graduated, but to play longer in the pros. He has spent the past three years playing the game he loves most. He is currently playing in Midland, Michigan.

Elizabeth Dalton, (Sister)