Dane’s Story
Dane was diagnosed with stage 3A melanoma skin cancer during August 2023 after his son spotted a mole on the back of his left knee whilst out walking their dog. Dane believes this mole had changed over time but because it was on the back of his leg, he hadn’t really noticed it before. He immediately visited his GP and within a week of this appointment the mole had been removed. Unfortunately, Dane’s initial results confirmed that he has stage T1a melanoma which was later fully staged as a stage 3A melanoma.
He is currently now on dabrafenib and trametinib adjuvant treatment and has CT scans every 3 months. For more information on adjuvant treatment see here.
Here he very kindly shares his experience with us.
I had a mole on the back of my left knee which was spotted by my son whilst out walking our dog. I had it checked immediately and within a week (on July 17th 2023) it had been removed. I didn’t really think any more of it apart from the fact it was a nightmare to heal because the wound was in the crease of my knee. Five weeks passed and I received a phone call telling me that the mole had melanoma in it, and I would need more skin removed (a wide local excision) and a sentinel lymph node biopsy in my groin. It wasn’t until October 13th this surgery took place. I then waited for the results to find out if the cancer had left the mole and entered my body and about two weeks later, I received a phone call to tell me it had. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me.
“I couldn’t believe this was happening to me.”
I rushed back to the hospital the very next day to have an emergency CT scan to see if the cancer had travelled any further around my body. The following week was the worst week of my life, my mental health was in the bin, everybody was saying to stay positive, but you automatically question if this is how it’s going to end. You literally wake up each day and question if you have a future in this world or if you’re on the final countdown. The results came in and it was clear, I almost fell to my knees with relief. I was alive and it felt like my first win in this battle, and it was a big one. Every stage up to this point felt like a loss. Next, I had a meeting with the consultant and nurses at the hospital and it was decided that I should still go through treatment as a preventative measure to give my body the best chance to fight it should it come back, I was put on dabrafenib and trametinib treatment which is a series of daily tablets for 12 months.
“The physical elements of having melanoma, you just deal with – you don’t really have any choice, the mental side of dealing with the fact you have had cancer is the real damage in my opinion.”
I’m so lucky in that the only side effects I’m experiencing is fatigue – I’ve had to learn how to listen to my body and manage this. I’ve not let it affect my work and I know when to slow down in my home life. I read that some people really struggle on treatment so I feel lucky that currently I can live an almost normal life. The physical elements of having melanoma, you just deal with – you don’t really have any choice, the mental side of dealing with the fact you have had cancer is the real damage in my opinion. The biggest surprise to me was dealing with the fact that I had some close friends who just totally disappeared, not even a text to ask how I’m doing. I have learned that I don’t need or want these people in my life, I’ve since been told that this is a common occurrence with people who battle cancer.
I was able to receive some counselling to help me process the fact I had cancer and the effects it’s had on my life. They were able to help me focus on the positives and shone a light on those that are important and those that aren’t. I now feel mentally stronger, I have CT scans every 3 months which do test my mental health whilst waiting for the results and it might come back one day, but I will be ready this time.
My piece advice to other melanoma patients is to make sure you ask as many questions as possible to the healthcare professionals supporting you.