Hi, my fellow melanoma warriors,
I know we have all faced so many challenges and struggles, and many of you have fought a much harder and longer battle than me. A piece of me hesitates to post this but I know I love hearing good news on this forum so I am sharing. After initially being diagnosed as stage IV in April 2020, 9 months of nivo, 2 rounds of ipi/nivo, an MRI and biopsy of my liver to rule out metastases and subsequently being downgraded to IIIC, 6 weeks of torture on Braftovi/Mektovi (it did not agree with me at ALL), and 3 weeks on Tafinlar/Mekinist, we moved forward with surgery. Removal of my tumor (which was totally dead) and a complete lymphadenectomy in my left arm pit on June 11th. I had my post-op with the surgical oncologist this last Thursday and I have been officially declared NED! It’s still a bit of a shock for me and I don’t think I have fully come to terms yet with what it means. Once my drain is removed (hopefully next week) no meds, no infusions, and no hospital appointments until September 24th when I will have CT scans and meet with my medical oncologist for my first follow-up.
This forum has been a godsend for me as a source of information and support from all of you amazing folks. I feel like I have made many friends here and I am grateful for each of you. Of course, I am still going to be on here to offer what information and experience I have and support however I can. I’m sure I’ll have scares, worries, scanxieties, and there’s always the chance of recurrences, but for today I am CANCER FREE! Sending everyone lots of love, hugs, and a fierce desire to keep fighting. Let’s kick melanoma’s ass!!
All the best,
Jenn
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