Michael Kremer

This is my story. When I was young I was always out in the sun, either working on the farm going on summer float trips and spending countless hours outside with no sunscreen on. When I was 28 I had a small mole removed behind my left ear and the biopsy revealed it was malignant melanoma cancer.

During the course of 5 years I had updated skin scans and dermatologist checkups every 6 months, it wasn’t until the spring of 2009 that I discovered a small lump where my mole was removed. After a couple of weeks went by I decided to visit my physician about the lump and he immediately had me scheduled to a head and neck surgeon. Another biopsy was performed and they told me that melanoma had come back in my lymph nodes. That spring I had over 50 lymph nodes removed from my left neck dissection, 3 were positive for metastic melanoma Stage III. It took a few weeks for me to heal and it was several months later that I was admitted to National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD for clinical trials.

All was good until May 2010 when a tumor was discovered localized around the left parodied gland Stage IV. I had it removed this past June and will be undergoing radiation in the next couple of weeks at St John’s Mercy. I plan to move forward and accept that melanoma will be apart of my life but I will not let it stop me from living. I will keep everyone posted and updated on my condition.