Sarah has been blogging about her battle with melanoma since May 2006. She begins with a post titled Something About Sarah where she chronicles the series of events leading up to her diagnosis.July 2004
Have a bit of pain in right arm. Feels like "10 bees stinging me at once" deep inside my arm. Thought I pulled something at gym.
August 2004
Still have same occasional pain but not worried in the least. I'm enjoying my summer and playing soccer. Have tons of energy, working full time and going to school. Moving at end of August.
Early Sept 2004
I get out of shower and notice a golf-ball sized lump under right axilla. Must have popped up virtually over night because it was summer and I was frequently shaving so would have noticed. I had a bad cold so I thought it was a reaction. Never really known anyone to have cancer so I had no idea that a swollen mass in armpit could be a big warning.
The mass was a warning. Sarah did have cancer.
Sept 29, 2004
Dr Gray calls with results. Looks like melanoma. His voice was very grave and sullen and I knew this was not good. I say, "That's not a good one to have," as I choke back the tears and he says, "No, it's not," and then I think he was trying to reassure me when he added, "Sometimes bad things happen to good people." I took that as a death sentence.
And now, Sarah is dying. She no longer writes her blog entries; her husband does.
June 2, 2007
Sarah's still fighting hard and has had miraculous periods of clarity, we've both said a lot of meaningful things to one another and for this I'm very grateful. Along with these moments of clarity are increasing episodes of delusion, confusion and hallucinations. These have become more prevalent over the last week. It's hard to see, handle and defuse. The disease in the brain is progressing but hopefully these symptoms will slow down since the latest flurry. She still assures me she's content and when resting is peaceful . . . I'm really glad everyone understands how special Sarah is, I've truly never experienced such love, power and determination and her beauty remains, what a sight she is.
To pay tribute to this young woman, visit her blog, read her story, and raise your awareness about a very deadly disease.
1. Jacki,
Thank you for bringing awareness to this disease. Sarah is a member (family really) of the MPIP Bulletin Board (mpip.org). It's a board for melanoma patients and family members to exchange information, resources, and support. Many of us are readers of Sarah's blog and are so saddened by her recent decline.
The majority of melanomas present themselves as a visible change on the skin (a changing mole or freckle). How many DEADLY cancers can you SEE with your eyes? If breast cancer, ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, etc.. presented themselves as a visible change on the outside of our skin where we could see it... well we would probably be scouring our bodies every month.
Thank you again.
Melissa
Posted at 11:58AM on Jun 11th 2007 by melissalittle