Sharing

I want to revisit a topic: to share or not to share?  I HAD cancer. I was very sick. I SURVIVED!  Why do I share this with people?  Mostly because I never know if who I meet will have a friend or family member suffering with cancer treatment. I never know and I want to share HOPE. I also want to spread awareness that melanoma is more than skin cancer. When people hear that I am a skin cancer survivor they nod...like, whatever! If I say melanoma survivor, there is a bigger reaction.

Survivor Steph, wow, I have a round head!!

My goal is to always be proud of my survivor status!  I endured one of the most difficult cancer treatments on the planet. I was taken to the brink of death. I want others to know the dangers of tanning, and that there is HOPE.


My battle with cancer will always be a part of who I am. I am GRATEFUL for every extra day I have on this planet with my husband, daughter, and family. They are my reason for fighting SO HARD.

PS. my book is avalaible for Kindle @ Amazon  "My Journey with Melanoma" by Stephanie Bowen

Treatment Options

I have been thinking about this for a couple of weeks as I also am on the What Next American Cancer Society's support page. It seems that many people who are new to the world of melanoma have a hard time deciding what to do and what treatments are out there. I am not a doctor, I am an informed patient and survivor of melanoma.

The first thought I want to share is the plethora of resources online:

The Melanoma Research Foundation @ http://www.melanoma.org/ is a great place to start. Or the Skin Cancer Foundation @ http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/melanoma
The John Wayne Cancer Center @ http://www.jwci.org/cancer-info.aspx
Of course, MD Anderson @ http://www.mdanderson.org/patient-and-cancer-information/care-centers-and-clinics/care-centers/melanoma-skin/index.html

I think the most important decision is to get good information and go to a specialist!  Some doctors will recommend interferon or IL-2 treatments. Some doctors will have access to the new drugs, like Yervoy. But, if your doctor seems clueless about melanoma or hopeless, RUN AWAY!!  Go somewhere else.

That is exactly what I had to do and I almost did not survive. A local surgeon claimed he needed a tissue sample to confirm the HUGE tumor under my arm was melanoma, but he probably knew. He opened me up and ended up jamming a jp drain right into the tumor. He then sent me to an oncologist who looked at me like I was a dead woman walking. That oncologist did not even give me a referral to San Francisco's melanoma center or anywhere. He sent me off and probably assumed I was going to die.  I proved him wrong!!

So, when deciding what to do, talk to your family, pray, and go to a specialist! Do not settle for anyone who does not believe you can beat the beast. There are people with brain mets walking the planet! There are people fighting melanoma everyday, alive!  I am a firm believer in fighting until there is no hope...and let me tell you. even in my darkest days, I had hope.

Bless you to all who are in the middle of treatments....You will make it!  Together, the melanoma community can make a difference!

Appreciation

As a cancer survivor the fear of a reoccurrence is always near...but, I am beginning to realize it does not have to rule my life. I know that I survived some pretty daunting odds, and I am so blessed to be here! I know that today I need to appreciate my life.

Going through cancer treatments leave scars on a person. Some of the scars are visible, while others are on our psyche. For me I can hear a song and remember driving to Santa Monica for my treatments. I can hardly believe I went through what I went through.

As my 43rd birthday approaches, I am GRATEFUL to be here, celebrating with my family. My heart swells with love and appreciation for the blue sky, the fresh snow, and the fantastic sierra nevada mountains I live in. I appreciate life.

As spring approaches, hug your loved ones, kiss someone, and ENJOY life. Because, you never know what tomorrow will bring.