Thames Path 50k for Melanoma UK

Mum was much younger in outlook, energy and spirit than her 72 years and was an extremely active person who loved life and exploring the world. So it was heart breaking for us to watch her condition deteriorate over precious months, and to the extent where she was only able to communicate via the squeeze of her hand as the pressure from metastatic melanoma in her brain increasingly affected both her speech and mobility in her final weeks; yet she approached her mortality with a dignity and bravery that I could never match. In her final weeks I promised her that I would ensure her legacy was kept alive and that I would do what I could after she had gone to use her story to help raise awareness for others. She left us on January 28th 2016, for what I hope is a brighter place.

Mum had always been extremely vigilant of any lumps and bumps since having a melanoma (mole) removed from her leg a couple of years ago. So when she found a lump in her groin in November 2014 and shortly afterwards had her lymp nodes removed we were cautiously optimistic that she had found the lump in good time. 

Post surgical biopsy of the nodes confirmed the presence in them of melanoma cells, but with regular full body CT scans for the next six months there appeared to be no further presence detected. That was until July 2015, when a scan identified that the melanoma had in fact metastasised to one of her femur bones, one of her hips, and one shoulder tip. She was advised at this stage that without treatment she had only six months left to live, and at that point our world turned upside down. Mum started treatment with an immunotherapy drug very shortly afterwards, but by November 2015 scans showed that the melanoma had metastasised  significantly further and was in both hips, most of her spine, her neck, both shoulders, her sternum, her clavicle, and her brain. At this point there were no realistic treatment options remaining, and we were advised the best thing to do was to prepare for nature take it’s course.

Once melanoma has metastasised it is an extremely aggressive disease, and incredibly difficult to treat. There currently is no cure. Education at the earliest age about prevention (eg: childhood, teens), and early detection are key if the cases of melanoma related deaths in the UK are to reduce. Malignant melanoma is currently one of the fasted rising cancers, and is the fifth most common cancer diagnosed in the UK, with at least 50% of those diagnosed being under the age of 65 - affecting what is a young age group relatively compared to other cancers. In addition, developing treatment options and research is vital if patients like Mum are to be given the best chances of increased life expectancy once diagnosed. Melanoma UK are not only committed to funding both educational programs and research developments but they are also a key support to patients and their loved ones dealing with melanoma at all stages, and beyond. I would therefore be hugely grateful for any support in raising funds to enable them to continue making a difference and to continue doing the wonderful work that they do.