D-Day

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September 6, 2018

About 3 weeks ago I discovered a lump in my right armpit. I hadn't noticed it before and it raised some concerns. I went to see my doctor and I had some blood work done and an ultrasound done to see what it was. After the ultrasound results came back, we decided it should probably be removed. There weren't any concerns about it at this point, but we still felt it should come out. My uncle is a general surgeon and, upon examining the lump, felt confident it was benign and nothing to worry about. However, he still felt it should come out.

Last Friday I had surgery to remove the lump. After removing it, my uncle told Kim that he had some concerns based on what he had seen. If it was bad, we figured it would be lymphoma based on it being in my lymph node. Lymphoma is quite treatable and, if it had to be cancer, we'd hoped for that.

Yesterday, we got the results of the biopsy. Unfortunately, it was not lymphoma. It was metastatic melanoma. It started somewhere in my skin and has spread to my lymphatic system. We are waiting to schedule a PET scan to see if it has spread elsewhere. Melanoma normally spreads to lymph nodes, lungs, and the brain. My overall health has been good, so we are hopeful that it hasn't spread too much. That being said, because it has spread, it is at least stage 3. I've been told by a handful of people that metastic melanoma survival rates aren't the greatest. What I've seen says stage 3 means about 50% chance to live 5 years and stage 4 is about 10-25% depending on some factors.

I am optimistic and plan on fighting tooth and nail to beat this. My wife and I have been doing a lot of research on things we can do to enhance treatments for cancer. Statistics are just that, statistics. I don't plan on buying into the doom and gloom and I do plan on winning.

Of all the things I've learned in this life, it's that God is real. He loves me and is aware of me. My Savior suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane so that He could perfectly support me and strengthen me. I have faith and trust in Him and I'm not afraid.

-Ryan

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