My MELANOMA journey started the summer of 2013, my wife Carol saw a mole on my back which was bleeding - 6 months later and 5 GP visits DR NO.5 didn't like the look of it so the next day i had it surgically removed. They had to go back in and remove more and then more and then came my diagnosis - SKIN CANCER - MELANOMA. For the next 2.5yrs i had 3 monthly visits to the dermatologist for external checks with no problems.  

In July 2016 i had a cough and Carol said to go to the GP and because i'd had it for so long we wanted it checked further. Fast-forward 2 months Oct 2016 & the MRI scan showed spots on my left lung. The 2nd MRI confirmed it was MELANOMA it had spread!

 

Dec 23rd 2016 i had an operation to remove the lower left part of my lung and again i thought i was cancer free!

Fast-forward to March 2017 I went to my consultant oncologist to get my recent PET scan results and we had a massive shock, i now had a tumour on my spine and 5 in my liver all MELANOMA! My oncologist was against an operation and instead i started on Immunotheraphy - PEMBROLIZUMAB which had a 80/85% chance of bad side effects but my thought process was well that means 10/15% chance of not getting them and i was going to be in that bracket! 

Every 3 weeks i went to Worcester Royal for treatment and had a scan every 3 months. I had no side effects and my tumours were under control.

Fast-forward June 2018 i went to the oncologist to get my PET scan results thinking they would be fine as I had been so well but we were in for a shock - we got told i had new tumours and the PEMBRO had stopped working - our world crashed! In July 2018 i was given a prognosis of 6-12 months as the treatments available to me after this were limited. At this point we requested a transfer to Churchill in Oxford as this was a specialized Melanoma hospital.

Carol and I met Dr Miranda Payne who gave us the same prognosis but said i could start a course of treatment with IPILUMINAB but because of the toxicity i could only have 4 doses.

I started IPI in August 2018 and finished the 4 courses in October 2018. In November i had a scan and an appointment with Dr Miranda Payne. We knew the treatment had only 15% chance of working so we were scared and worried but she said to Carol, Kate and I that the scan was now showing ONLY 1 TUMOUR - YES ONLY 1!!!!

She said i will never be cancer free and she wasn't sure when the tumours would come back but this gave my family HOPE & TIME which is all we can ask for!

So this is MY TIME & MY WAY to give something back and to help fight against MELANOMA which is massively underrated as a form of cancer. People think because its on the skin it can't get inside your body but it can and when it does it can be heartbreaking. 

Thank you in anticipation for your support and help raise awareness of MELANOMA and its capabilities.

Mike Hull