- Get checked by a dermatologist at least once a year.
- Always use a good sunscreen.
- Melanoma is NOT an old person's disease. And don't believe that only fair-skinned people get melanoma.
- Be faithful about self-examines for suspicious moles.
- Don’t foolishly think you are in control! The only control one has is in prevention. I too, laid outside with baby oil slathered all over me and I used tanning beds. I had no clue what damage I was doing. I thought it only happened to others and not me. Stay out of tanning beds and use good sunscreen!
- And listen to your Mother!
What is Kirston talking about..
....6+ years of surviving cancer, diagnosed: December, 2005
Life was too busy for me to be concerned about a small spot on the left cheek of my face! Consumed with wedding preparations for my August 5, 2005, wedding, I remember thinking, "It's just a bump, it needs to go away soon – especially for this wedding!" (Look closely you can see the size of it at our wedding.)
Now that I’m a Mom, I realize and appreciate the incredible gift of “intuition” God gives to mothers. My mom told me several times to see a dermatologist to make sure it was nothing. I kept putting her off. I listen to her today – like I hope my daughter will me!
Several weeks later, the spot was becoming bigger, darker and noticeably irritated, so I made an appointment with a dermatologist. It had gone from “insignificantly nothing” to about the size of a dime and was clearly not going away in a matter of weeks.
Sitting in the examination room of the dermatologist, I stared at a poster on the wall. I noticed my spot looked just like one of 
the pictures on the wall.
A small biopsy revealed the spot wasn't quite normal. I went for a second opinion. The second opinion proved the removal of the entire spot rather than a second biopsy. Days later I received a call that I needed to come in for “surgery” after the removal the following day.
It wasn't until I was being prepped for surgery that I realized the doctor was going to have to do an extensive surgery on my face to excise all the cancerous tissue. I heard the words but I didn’t fully grasp: Stage 2A Malignant Melanoma. I had not fully educated myself as to what that meant. I was sent to an oncologist and then I realized this meant “I have cancer!” I knew nothing about melanoma or cancer stages but I quickly became educated.
I weekly went to Texas Cancer Center for a battery of scans and tests to determine if the cancer had spread. The PET scans revealed a questionable spot in my pelvis which required localized radiation injections to see if the cancer had spread to my lymph-nodes. A few lymph-nodes were removed from my neck which tested all clear. I had another surgery with plans to biopsy the abnormal lesion in my pelvis - praying there was no metastasis. There were 4 different attempts to biopsy the lesion but doctors were unable to obtain a sample of the tissue. It was a very traumatic experience for a young, seemingly healthy person to be going through. Sent home to recover I later received a phone call that there was no abnormal tissue and the "spot" in my pelvis was simply an ovary. I needed no radiation or chemotherapy, thank the LORD!
I am cancer free.
I faithfully have twice-yearly appointments with both oncologist and dermatologist. The doctors advised us to wait for at least 2 years to conceive a baby. My husband and I were blessed by the Lord on July 22, 2011, as we welcomed our daughter, Isabella Grace Stroder into our lives.
I endlessly give advice for prevention and early detection of melanoma and other skin cancers:
When Darla asked, “What purpose have you championed from this experience?” that was easy to answer.
Including myself there are 6 members of my family who have had various forms of cancer, some who have not survived. It was all part of His plan. I'm seeing that more and more daily. The desire to live for God was put back in my heart! God laid out my career path as an aesthetician through a friend who introduced me to EofE and an amazing group of warriors at EofE and Dr. Joseph’s office, who have been with me as I grow in my relationship with Him. I share my life with each of them as well as my patients here. I and my husband embrace Relay For Life of McKinney serving as captain of RFL teams annually – I am passionate about RFL! I am given the opportunity to speak of my experience with melanoma to people of all ages and I do so relentlessly. He saved me from myself and my foolish disregard for the precious gift of my life. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. Melanoma, which often looks like a dark brown or black mole on the skin, accounts for less than 5% of skin cancer cases but causes about 79% of skin cancer deaths. Melanoma cases in the United States is increasing. The American Cancer Society estimates more than 62,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed in the US in 2008 and more than 8,400 deaths from the disease. Melanoma detected early is often curable, but the survival rate decreases significantly when it is found in later stages.
