Fellow warriors…this is the note that I sent to my team…we have come a very long way in 3.5 years. I know we have lost many among along the way…but hope is a good thing. (and for those that remember my name…I think I was among the very last folks to do the full 1 year treatment of Interferon…and survived)
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Team – it has been almost 3.5 years since my diagnosis of Melanoma Stage 3A. The bad news is that Stage 3A patients have a 30-35% chance of becoming a Stage 4 patient. (and there is no Stage 5)
At the time of my diagnosis, if you went to Stage 4, you were essential dead man walking with a life expectancy of 5-8 months. So I dreaded the PET scans that occurred every 3 months (and now every 6 months). Three years ago this time, I was walking into the doctor visit knowing there was a 1 in 3 chance that I was NOT going to make it to July 4th….(and those 5-8 months would have been filled with desperate surgeries and radiation treatments…so your quality of life was immediately reduced.)
So 3 years later when I walked into the office today, I know I am down to about 1 in 8 chances of going to Stage 4. (odds get better over time) I have continued to get good news and today was no exception.
But the really great news applies to your friends and family as well. You probably have heard about these new miracle Immunotherapy drugs that have hit the market in the past 2-3 years. They are game changers in the cancer game for sure. And the Melanoma patients are leading the way in the testing and seeing results. Stage 4 is no longer a 100% death sentence. In fact, in speaking with doctor today….he is suggesting that about 60% of Stage 4 patients are alive 3-4 years out (they don’t really know all the stats given the newness of the drugs).
Why is that great news for all of us….the Immunotherapy drugs first tested with Melanoma patients are being applied to many other cancer treatments. I don’t want to sound to overly optimistic….these drug treatments can have some very nasty side effects and they don’t work for everybody. These doctors are still learning but that is a heck of a change in the outlook of this here-to-fore deadly disease in just 3 years. (and I am sure many of us have lost loved ones to cancer)
From certain death…to hope.
A good way to start the week. Feeling good and you should to… Michel
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