David was an amazing man who touched many lives during his short life. He was a devoted loving husband with whom I was blessed to spend 13 years. He loved his family and friends and was always ready to lend a hand with a friendly, willing smile. One of David’s proudest achievements was becoming an Eagle Scout. His father said it best… “David was a wonderful example of the Scout Law – A scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent” – that was our David.
David’s story began in 1999 when I noticed an odd shaped mole on the small of his back. He had it removed. It was a malignant melanoma, Clark ‘s level III, believed to be caught early. It was superficial enough that he only had to have a wide local excision surgery to remove it. This was followed by 5 years of follow-up visits, blood work and chest x-rays. We thought it was all behind us.
Fast forward to May 2006 when David thought he had a hernia. A visit to the doctor ruled out the hernia. It was swollen lymph nodes. A biopsy indicated that the melanoma had returned. 2 days later a PET scan showed that the cancer had spread through his lymph node system. A CT scan indicated that the disease was only in his lymph system and not in any of his vital organs. A few days later, a brain MRI showed several brain lesions. This ruled him out of any available clinical trials and the decision was made to start a 14 day whole brain radiation treatment on June 30th. David went through this pretty well, but by the end, the fatigue had set in, along with headaches and flu like symptoms. The next treatment was three rounds of Temodor. David made it through 2 rounds when severe headaches landed him in the hospital. David’s sweet nature remained throughout the hospital stay. Even through all the pain, he was always polite, thanking the nurses. David was surrounded by his family as he left this life. While we miss him terribly, we know he is in a better place and free of the pain and suffering.
David will forever be in our hearts, and his family and friends are committed to spreading awareness and supporting melanoma research in his honor.
Love and miss you,
Barbara