03/31/2026
Tomorrow marks 4 years since my melanoma surgery. Right after that surgery, I sat in my vascular surgeon’s office and was told it was Stage 3A cancer. I remember feeling numb… like everything went blurry for a moment. 2 out of 3 lymph nodes taken were positive.
Today, I’m back for another 6 month check.
Sitting in the waiting room… taking it all in. Looking around at others who are clearly in the middle of their fight, not feeling well, some without hair. I feel grateful… and sometimes even a little guilty.
My melanoma was on my upper thigh.
It was a flat mole, more like a freckle, maybe about a third the size of a pencil eraser. Nothing out of the ordinary except for that it seemed a little darker than normal. Iwas told by my primary care doctor that it was nothing, but he was wrong. If you ever have something that concerns you, please get it checked. And if you’re unsure, get a second opinion. Early detection matters more than you think.
Walking out emotional as usual. You’re never fully out of the woods with something like this. Sometimes my mind goes places I wish it wouldn’t. I think about how the surgery margins were clear…but it had already traveled to my lymph nodes. I wonder if there was anything in between and if it traveled anywhere else.
But I also come back to this... Im still here, and today's exam and blood work looked good. I’m choosing to trust God with what I can’t see. God has carried me this far… and HE will continue to.
