Ashley Graver
My journey with Melanoma began in 2008 when I had a wide local excision performed on a spot on my forearm. The melanoma was considered “in situ” (stage 0) and no further treatment was necessary. I never considered myself a cancer survivor or spent much time or energy worrying about melanoma. In the years that followed, I visited my dermatologist for routine skin checks, and used sunscreen as advised, but that was the extent of my melanoma story….until October 2018. A full 10 years later!
In October 2018, I noticed a small tender lump in my armpit. It was the same arm as the original melanoma, but I did not give much thought to it at the time. After a couple weeks, the lump was still present and tender, so I visited a physician. She was not overly concerned, but ordered some imaging to be on the safe side. The radiologist was concerned about what he saw and referred me to get a biopsy. I am apparently more of an optimist than I give myself credit for because I still did not expect anything to come of the biopsy.
The biopsy procedure was on a Thursday, and when I had not heard anything by the following Tuesday, I started to become really worried. I finally received the call on Wednesday. The first words from the physician were “I’m sorry but I do not have good news….”. She proceeded to tell me it was metastatic melanoma as my mind raced to process the news. Historically, metastatic melanoma does not have great survival rates and that was definitely weighing heavily on me.
The days that followed were some of the longest I have ever experienced. I met with an oncologist and had some additional imaging procedures performed. The imaging confirmed that there was no current evidence of any further spread to my brain or organs – the best news I could have received for the hand I was dealt.
I had a complete axillary lymph node dissection to remove the cancer. There were 19 lymph nodes removed and only one with cancer. I was incredibly blessed to catch it before it continued spreading! In addition to the lymph node dissection, I also underwent an adjuvant treatment – a year of immunotherapy. Having immunotherapy as a treatment option helped put my mind at ease about the possibility of other undetected cancer cells still remaining after surgery. This treatment would not have been an option for me as little as 12 months prior to my diagnosis. It was approved for stage 3 treatment in January of 2018.
I am very thankful for the advances in the treatment of melanoma and am hopeful that my melanoma will never return. My latest scans continue to show no evidence of disease.
The things I want others to learn from my experience:
-Melanoma is not “just a skin cancer”. Even when you think you have caught it early, it can recur, and often without additional warning signs.
-If you receive a diagnosis of metastatic melanoma, remain hopeful! Do not start reading historical statistics. Treatments are evolving and those stats might be irrelevant.
-PREVENTION is important! Even with the promising advances in treatment, prevention should still be the goal. Find a sunscreen you like and wear it daily, seek shade when possible, and do not use tanning beds!
