5 Years

Five years ago this month Dan was diagnosed with Melanoma. As most of you know, he had gone in to have a dry patch of skin on his leg looked at. (because I kept telling him he had exema!) While there, the dr. removed a mole on his back that turned out to be Melanoma. Poor Dan was alone at the Dr. to get the news a few days later. It was such a rough time for him, and us. As some might remember I was 7 months pregnant and having complications of my own. Within a week Dan was in surgery, having the cancer removed as well as a few lymph nodes. We were told then, if he could stay Melanoma free for 5 years, then he would have a 95% chance of it never coming back! Can we all say Amen that it has not returned at we have hit 5 years last week!
The next terrible news we got was 5 years ago this week! Dan and I were sitting on the couch having take out from Rizzos for his bday since he was very sore from surgery. The phone rang and I got up to get it. Mind you, it was 8:00pm at night. It was Dans dr. He told me that the biopsy from the dry skin patch was actually a different form of cancer called T-cell lymphoma. AGain, 7 months pregnant, Dans bday, and trying to find words to say to my husband to tell him the new cancer he now has. The dr tried explaining what this cancer was on the phone, but he had lost me at the word cancer. I got off the phone and Dan could tell it was bad. I tried explaining it to him, but all we could do was sit and cry. All that went through our mind was if he would be here to meet Cole.
The next week we were back in with dr's We found out that it is a rare skin cancer, that most people who are diagnosed get when they are very old. Rare for someone his age to have. After research, it appears to be environmental. There is no cure, only treatments. It starts on the skin as these dry patches, then if it chooses to, would spread to typically the liver first. There is no time frame for when it will or wont travel into the blood stream. The doctors say he could die of a heart attack or old age first! Thats promising to us! We now go to Siteman Cancer center 3 times a year to have his blood work done to make sure it has not traveled into his blood stream, and he continues to take a topical chemotherapy.
As a wife, the words I heard, especially being pregnant, were the worst words I could have heard. Seeing my husbands eyes so scared is a picture in my mind I will never forget! When we go to the cancer floor for blood work it breaks my heart every time!
God has looked over Dan thus far and has brought us good news up to this point. I put my faith in God and pray that it will never change!
SO this month I celebrate Dan being "cured" of Melanoma and excited the T cell lymphoma has been nothing more than a nuisance!