Jamie Newland
I was 29 years old when my melanoma was diagnosed. I had one son and I was pregnant with Jo and her twin. It was a pregnancy we had prayed long and hard for, and part way through the pregnancy we lost her twin. I had a spot on my leg that had been bothering me for a little while, but I had so much else on my mind that I kept putting it off. Being a teacher, I thought “Summer is almost here; I can wait a few more months and then have it looked at.” I waited until Summer break, then had a small biopsy performed. This biopsy came back as cancerous, so I had a little larger biopsy done. This came back as cancerous still, so my doctors referred me to KU Med.
It was decided that we would deliver Jo a few weeks early; for her safety, as well as mine. She was born on Aug. 4th, and then my surgery was on August 11. My surgery included having a larger section of skin on my leg removed, a skin graft, and lymph nodes removed. Thankfully, the lymph nodes came back cancer free.
Just when one obstacle was cleared, another one popped up! As I was healing from surgery, we had to rush Miss Jo to Children’s Mercy for a breathing issue. That’s when we found out that she had three large holes in her heart, and the left side of her heart was 3 times its normal size. This consumed my thoughts and prayers. But she since has had her own surgeries and is a strong, spunky, little survivor as well.
Although I have always been a glass half full type of girl, I had a time when I became a little more pessimistic. To fight this, I decided to sit down and actually count and write my blessings. Doing this I found that my melanoma was a blessing in disguise. There are so many things that I know now, and things that I will (and have) changed in my life; not just for myself but also for my family.
1. My family does not go outside to play without sunscreen on, cloudy or not.
2. When a doctor tells me to have something checked out, I do it when it is scheduled and do not put it off. It is so easy as a mom, wife, and teacher to put yourself last and to take care of everyone else first. I have learned that to be a good mom, wife, and teacher I must take care of myself too.
3. I am so grateful to my amazing doctors and staff that God has put into my life.
4. I have always trusted and put all my faith in God, but my relationship with him has grown so much stronger through all of this.
5. My appreciation for my family increased. My family is so encouraging and helpful with everything. I would not be where I am today without them. It makes all the difference to have a good support system.
6. My work life has been positively influenced as well. My school family and friends have all been so supportive, and our school never runs low on sunscreen for kids! Another blessing is that many other teachers have gone and gotten themselves and/or kids checked because of my story.
The scar on my leg is pretty noticeable, but instead of letting that bother me, I see it as a good opportunity to share with others the importance of getting checked and practicing sun safety.
Since my melanoma I have had numerous biopsies done, two of which have come back as melanoma in-situ. I am so grateful to have these removed before they became anything more.
While for me, melanoma has been scary, frustrating, and difficult; it has also been an eye opener, a beneficial conversation topic, and a blessing to have survived and to be able to share with others.
