Dave McCabe
In 2015 I was a 50-year-old with a 3 year old son and two grown daughters. My wife noticed a mole on my back that I had planned to ignore and my general practitioner didn’t think it needed to be biopsied. She insisted that they take it off and test it. I think this probably saved my life because it turned out to be melanoma. I was referred to KU Med and soon had surgery. For the next 3 years I had regular scans, and everything looked to be clean. But in 2018 the cancer came back and spread. So, I had another surgery and started a year of Opdivo immunotherapy under Dr. Doolittle and NP Burkett’s care. This went well and I didn’t have any real side effects. For the next 5 years there was no evidence of disease. I even got to ring the bell at the cancer clinic! Then in early 2023 the scans found the cancer had recurred, on my back and in my lung. So, I’m back receiving immunotherapy treatments monthly (ipi/nivo) again. The side effects have been significantly worse this time, but the treatments appear to be effective. We’ll continue the treatments at least through 2024 and we’ll see where we go from there. But I’m thankful for having the last nine years and thankful for the care I get from the team at KU. And I’m optimistic for more future advances in treatment options.
Until I was diagnosed, I was always in the sun. I never took proper precautions (sunscreen, hat, long sleeves…). When I was younger, I even used a tanning bed occasionally. I hope that young people will be smarter and more aware of the real dangers of the sun.
