Janet Summerville, Stage III

Wow, reading all your stories made me cry. My name is Janet Summerville; I am 56. I am from Seattle but living in NY State for now with my two sons and husband. I found a few months ago I have melanoma.

I discovered a dark mole slowly getting bigger on my left thigh. I had the mole for about a year, and it started to bled and hurt. A co-worker said I should have it checked out, and it was removed by a dermatologist. They removed it and called me a week later to tell me it was cancer. Roswell is a cancer center here in NY. There, they took out one groin lymp node and the skin surrounding the area where the mole was. They said I was a Stage Ib. I was off for about 10 days. I received another call stating that cancer was found in the node they took out. Now, I go back again for another surgery on the 14th of this month to have the groin lymph nodes out. I am told now that I am Stage IIIb. I will be spending 4 days in the hospital and 4 weeks recovery time.

So, the time is getting closer for this surgery, and you know I am very nervous about this one. When I am alone with my thoughts so my family does not see me cry, I think about the plans I’d made to move my husband and sons back to Seattle where my daughter and youngest son are. There is so much more I want to do, and I think “Why me?” Then I remember my mom use to tell me that everything happens for a reason, but God has a plan for me. I just pray that I will have many more years ahead of me, and that is his plan. So, everyone reading this, please give a little prayer for me on the 14th of Nov. when I go back into surgery.