NEVER GIVE IN, NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER LOSE. NEVER GIVE IN, NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER LOSE. NEVER GIVE IN, NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER LOSE. NEVER GIVE IN, NEVER GI
Kathie
melanoma warrior kathie

Kathie T.

City: Land O' Lakes, FL

Age: 59 (I sure have enjoyed celebrating birthdays since my melanoma diagnosis)

Occupation: mother, grandmother, wife, RN, Stage IV melanoma patient

Initial diagnosis: Diagnosed at Stage III with an unknown primary site in 2004. I felt a small lump in my left groin while showering.

Progression and dates: I advanced to Stage IV in 2005 when the melanoma spread to my liver. I progressed again in 2008 when it spread to an area around my pancreas and my left hip area.

Treatment location(s):I was treated at Mease Countryside Hospital in Clearwater, FL as a Stage III patient and have been treated at H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL since advancing to Stage IV.

Current status:I have had no evidence of disease since 2008 when I had my second extensive abdominal surgery to remove the tumor around the pancreas. At the same time, the tumor in my left hip area was removed. I did one year of Interferon in 2004-2005. I participated in a Phase II clinical trial of GM-CSF in 2005-2006. I continue to have CT Scans of the neck, thorax, abdomen and pelvis every 4 months and a MRI of the brain every 6 months.