Lora Finley Isaacs
It was summer break after my first year of college; I was 19 years old, and I went to a routine doctor’s appointment. It was June so I was wearing shorts. My primary care doctor saw a mole on my leg and informed my mom that I needed to have it removed. I did not think anything of it, but he removed it and sent it off to be tested. After, I went to work as a lifeguard with a couple stitches and a waterproof band-aid.
Five weeks later we received a call that I needed to be taken to the doctor immediately. I had no idea what it was about, and my parents were acting very strange. When I went into the appointment a nurse walked in and very bluntly said “you have melanoma” to which all of us burst into tears.
Immediately I had appointments with surgeons and oncologists. At these appointments I was grilled about using tanning beds. I had never been in a tanning bed in my life. I had been a lifeguard since I was 15 years old. But I never really got sunburned either; I only tanned.
Three days after my diagnosis I had surgery. I was terrified. First, they injected me with some type of nuclear medicine directly into the side of my knee with something that looked like it was a prop on an alien movie. It has been seven years and it is still the worst pain I have ever felt in my life! Then I was sent to surgery where they took about nine inches of tissue off the side of my leg and a lymph node in my groin.
During the surgery I had what I guess could be described as a vision or dream. I was crying at the feet of God; he was beautiful. I cried because I thought I had died, and I said I could not die until I got married (no idea why I said that in this vision; I was 19). God laughed and told me “you will” and then I saw two little girls.
When I woke up in recovery I was crying; just sobbing. My nurse did not pay much attention to me, but another nurse came over and asked me what was wrong. I told her my story and she started to cry too.
As they were wheeling me back to a room, I saw my mom at the end of the hallway and I screamed in front of everyone in this huge waiting area “I MET GOD!” and she yelled back, “I believe you!”.
As part of my recovery at home, I had to figure out how to walk. I had about 15 staples on the side of my knee and 6 stitches in my groin area which made walking difficult and painful. Eventually after having all the staples and stitches removed, I was back to normal. Except much more careful in the sun!
I kept my job as a lifeguard and even ran the pool all throughout college. I wore long sleeve UPF shirts and was always in the shade. I grew up in a small town and the city workers were like family. The city guys extended part of the roof of the pool house so the lifeguard chair was always covered. And since my scar looked like a shark bite, I even convinced some of the pool rats (and some moms) that I was bit by a shark!
At that pool we were able to participate in a program called Pool Cool. We were given huge containers of free sunscreen for everyone who came through the doors, and during swimming lessons, I would teach all the students about sun safety. I am now an elementary music teacher and I still find a way to incorporate sun safety in my curriculum.
