August 2006.
I was going into the fifth grade, a mere 10 years old, and my mom was diagnosed with skin cancer--stage four melanoma of her scalp. Being so young, I did not really understand what was going on. I only knew my mom was sick. It was tough seeing her there in a hospital bed, just exhausted from the surgery that removed the melanoma from the lymph nodes on both sides of her neck.
She always smiled, though. I knew she was happy to see me and I was happy to see her. Thank you for that, mom.
October 2006.
Another surgery--bilateral neck dissection to remove the affected lymph nodes and reconstructive surgery on her head due to a rotational flap procedure the first surgeon failed to do correctly. The second part of the surgery was to remove muscle from her back and skin grafts from her thigh to rebuild the back of her head. Due to these extensive procedures, she spent a week in the ICU to keep the graft and muscle protected in a sterile environment while nerves and blood vessels regenerated.
This was one of the most difficult times we went through as a family. My brother and I visited once and were only allowed to see her for a moment. I missed her a lot. I give her credit for being such a strong woman and role model for me. She never lost her smile.
Later that month.
My mom had to start a year-long process of chemotherapy treatments. The treatment plan was Interferon infusions, which required her to travel an hour to the hospital, five days a week for a month. She was extremely dehydrated and sick from the treatments. After a month of hospital visits were over, she started a regiment of self-injections three times a week for a whole year. Even though the treatments were excruciating and made her feel like a different person in her own body, she was an amazing mother and never missed a step. I could never imagine her incredible pain and discomfort. At that time, no one could tell what she was really feeling because her brave face covered it all.
February 2007.
My mom got a fitted hair piece to cover the massive scar tissue on the back of her head. She would have to wait a year for reconstructive surgery. I thought she looked beautiful either way. She looked like a survivor to me.
November 2007.
She started the process of reconstructive surgery for her head. Two saline implants were placed under her scalp with tubes externalized through her neck as a method of slowly increasing the size of the implants over the next three months. We all made jokes to make her laugh about her “boob head,” because who does not associate implants with breasts? We were just happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Things would soon be all right again.
February 2008.
We made it. No more surgeries, no more treatments, just our healthy mom. The implants were removed and she had a full head of hair. There is still a scar that she has to cover up daily. She tries hard to make sure no one can see it, but I think it is a symbol of strength that unique to only a number of brave souls in this world.
October 2008.
Not long after her reconstructive surgery, she felt a bump on the left side of her neck. The doctors did a biopsy and the results were positive. The cancer had returned, affecting the lymph nodes on the left side of her neck. The news was devastating. Once again, we were all scared for her. I could not picture my life without my mom. I could not picture losing her.
October 21, 2008.
A left neck dissection was performed, removing all the nodes from her neck. With this she had to endure another year of treatments, involving a different drug--Leukine. Three injections every week again. I remember her having to go through injecting the treatments at home. She was still brave and strong. She never gave up.
October 2009.
Cancer free! She still goes for PET scans once a year and visits to her oncologist. She sees her dermatologist every three months for the rest her life. She sees her specialized head and neck cancer surgeon every other year.
I have been blessed with spending the last six years with my cancer-free mom, a survivor.
After reading this, I hope you all get something from it. Be careful. The sun is great to bask in. We all want to be bronzed beauties, but we never think about what happens after we bake ourselves out there and even in tanning beds.
My mom never excessively tanned in a salon. She was a regular girl running around outside, a teenager laying by the pool, and a mom playing with her kids in the backyard. If there is anything she wants from her experience is for people to be aware of what CAN happen because there is a very good chance that it WILL. She survived this and is here to let us all know that. Respect the survivors.
