My father died of metastatic melanoma on Wednesday, August 24th. Although the doctor had led us to believe there was some hope for treatment, this turned out not to be the case. He was gone a week and a half after the biopsy report came back showing that the lesions in his liver were melanoma. We watched him decline, hour by hour, until he was no longer the person he had been such a very short time ago. It happened that quickly. I was still attempting to cope with the diagnosis and he was gone.
Melanoma is a predator and once it is loose, it strikes quickly and fatally. When the mole on his back was removed 5 years ago and found to be melanoma and in addition, had migrated to one lymph node, we knew it would be back even though the mole and all the lymph nodes under one arm were removed. It was just a matter of time. There is no cure and despite research, a reliable treatment has not been found. If caught early, it is usually not fatal. It can be prevented by using sunscreen religiously, especially while young as this is when the most sun damage occurs.
Make sure your doctor does a skin check at every annual physical or gyn exam. Most moles and spots are benign but why take the chance?
I miss my Dad. He was a great dad to me and my sisters and a wonderful grandfather to his 5 grandchildren. He knew another baby was on the way and my sister will name that baby, a boy, after him.
--Lois
"If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning" - Mahatma Ghandi
Melanoma is a predator and once it is loose, it strikes quickly and fatally. When the mole on his back was removed 5 years ago and found to be melanoma and in addition, had migrated to one lymph node, we knew it would be back even though the mole and all the lymph nodes under one arm were removed. It was just a matter of time. There is no cure and despite research, a reliable treatment has not been found. If caught early, it is usually not fatal. It can be prevented by using sunscreen religiously, especially while young as this is when the most sun damage occurs.
Make sure your doctor does a skin check at every annual physical or gyn exam. Most moles and spots are benign but why take the chance?
I miss my Dad. He was a great dad to me and my sisters and a wonderful grandfather to his 5 grandchildren. He knew another baby was on the way and my sister will name that baby, a boy, after him.
--Lois
"If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning" - Mahatma Ghandi
