Ten years ago this week I received a call from Dr. Lund telling me "Your biopsy came back positive for melanoma and I have zero clear margins". I had no clue what melanoma was, and/or what was coming in the next week before Christmas. 5 days later I had met with Dr. B and had a fairly big surgery and was preparing to start interferon.
Four recurrences and every treatment option that was available and I'm thrilled to say I'm 15 months cancer free! You see, the time between my recurrence was getting shorter (4 years, 2 years, 1 year and 10 months)........which I've been told is NOT good. But last August when the needle biopsy showed melanoma had returned, I started Nivo/Ipi. As Dr. Patel said last month at MD Anderson "this is a big thing, you need to take a minute and celebrate because your time frame has been reversed and you are clicking off months on the positive side". Yeah me!
But not 'yeah me'...........'yeah Team Mike'. Dr. B said years ago 'kick the can down the road, something will come along that will work on you' and he was right. I'm thankful for the doctors at MD Anderson (Dr. Ross and Dr. Patel), for Dr. B and his amazing staff, for Dr. Frankel at UTSW and Dr. Perez who pulled me off interferon and cried when he saw me breaking down physically. I'm thankful for friends.......I couldn't begin to mention each one that has reached out to say they are praying for me and for the constant support the last 10 years. I'm thankful for my family......Dasha has been through more than I would wish on anyone, and I firmly believe it's harder on family than the person going through the fight. My girls have been amazing, Campbell and Avery haven't known me without cancer, and as sad as that makes me, they are awesome/brave kids. My parents and sisters have been a rock.......I talk to Mindy every morning and most conversations over the last 10 years have started with "how are you feeling?" and me responding "fine".......then Mindy saying "no, really......" To the Brownings, Koss and team C6, Scotty, Taylor, the Cains, Jacksons, Cantor, Splunk and countless friends and people I've never met that have said they are praying for me, I'm humbled and can't begin to say 'thanks'.
And most importantly I'm blessed to have a Lord and Savior that loves me. My testimony is one of grace......and I'm blessed in more ways than I can count.
15 months and counting cancer free..........here's to another 12 months until I write an "11 years" blog!
To His glory -Mike
