The cure for melanoma begins with me.

I am a cutaneous melanoma survivor and I have never had a known spot on my skin.

My melanoma journey began on April 30, 2021, when a lump that had been removed a few days earlier came back as malignant melanoma. Following scans and exams, I was told I was stage IIIc, unknown primary. 

June brought a wide lesion excision and sentinel lymph node biopsy, and a short 4 weeks later, I started my first line of treatment, Opdivo. I had four (of 12) treatments before there was a lump in my left axillary again. This time it was a lymph node. Treatment stopped and I underwent a full axillary dissection. Thirty lymph nodes were removed, and thankfully 29 of them were negative! 

And so it was on to another treatment - this time the combo of Yervoy and Opdivo. Two treatments in, I ended up in the hospital with grade 3 colitis. Steroids were used to reverse the issues, and after nearly two months of weaning off the steroids, I was finally able to resume treatment. I completed this third treatment plan in June 2021, and completed maintenance treatment in May 2024. I have now had no evidence of disease for 4.5 years, and I am so incredibly grateful. Research helped make this possible for me, and for so many others. 

Not all have been so fortunate - melanoma is the deadliest and fastest growing form of skin cancer, with many subtypes still in need of durable treatment options. 

Miles for Melanoma builds community while supporting this fight and the mission of the Melanoma Research Foundation. Significant advancement has been made in the past few years in improved detection, new drug treatments and better survival rates. This progress has been built on the breakthroughs made fighting other types of cancers, as well as the existing foundation of melanoma research.

There is more to be done and a long way to go, but these continued advancements will continue to increase survival and quality of life for those undergoing treatment. The energy, enthusiasm and encouragement from patients, survivors, families, friends, caregivers, and the medical community impacts many lives and many futures.

Step up and donate to Miles for Melanoma today.