Melanoma Kills - The Krista Lake Story

I started at a new job about 8 years ago. One of the girls that worked there was very friendly and we hit it off right away! I walked into her office one day and saw a black mole on her arm the size of my thumbnail. She just happened to be wearing a sleeveless blouse. Prior to this job, I had work at a doctor’s office for almost 20 years. I didn’t say anything at first but I eventually went back to her office, shut the door, and I asked her if we could talk. I told her that I noticed the mole on her arm and I was very concerned about it. She said she knows she needs to get it checked but just hadn’t made the appointment. I told her that I really thought it was a good idea to have it looked at by a dermatologist. Once she was seen, she called me immediately and told me that I had saved her life! It was melanoma! She had surgery and it was totally removed. She tells everyone who sees her scar what happened and how the new girl at the office saved her life!

My first husband ignored a large growth on his back. We were dating then. I told him you need to get to a doctor asap. He died less than 1 year later. My heart goes out to your family. Melanoma is a horrible disease. I was a widow before the age of 21.

I was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma in1997.I waited 6 months before getting it looked at and was very lucky. Please everyone do self checks and get checked by a doctor. I am so sorry for your loss and you are doing a great thing by spreading the word.

My mother was 42 and ignored a knot that came up on her leg. It was in her brain and it was too late when she finally went to the doctor. When she died she left 4 children under the age of 7. I missed her at all the milestones in my life.

I see the bulletin board in Wickenburg,Az. daily and decided to get checked as I had some tags on my skin. I was diagnosed with skin carcinoma and had a pecan size mass removed from my shoulder as well as precancerous spot removed from my face and arm. Everyday I thank The Good Lord for that sign. I also pray for the family their loss. Thank you for that sign. It may have saved my life. God Bless!

I know your pain I lost my husband who was 41 to Melanoma. He was a fighter to the end. It's such a horrible disease. I am so sorry for your loss

I saw a suspicious mole on my back and went to a dermatologist. It was basal cell cancer, fortunately. They removed the mole, and that was 25 years ago. Please go to a dermatologist once a year.

My mum died of melanoma. Her primary tumour had never been found. It had begun as a small tumour in her lymph node in the groin area. Melanoma then spread throughout mum's body except her brain. All what she hoped was no affected brain. Mum passed from failure to her GI system due to melanoma. It was horrendous and a very thorny path for all of us. Please take care of yourselves and do get checked. Love you all

Exactly 10 years ago I saw a strange looking mole on my right forearm. During a routine visit, I casually asked my family doctor what he thought about it. His eyes got real big and he said he's sending me to a dermatologist. It was diagnosed as melanoma. I went into surgery to have it and the skin around it removed. Then they biopsied the lymph node in my armpit. Thankfully, those results came back benign (negative). I wasn't nearly as concerned as I should have been. Ignorance is bliss. Back in the 60's, growing up in southern California, we spent a lot of summers on the sand at Huntington Beach. We never wore sunscreen. At the end of the day we looked as red as lobsters. It was like a badge of honor. Days later our skin would peel off in sheets. It was like a game to see who could peel off the biggest piece of skin. We had no idea that we were playing with cancer. As a veteran, the VA does a skin evaluation once a year looking for any tell tale signs of skin cancer.

God bless you all! I am so sorry! I had a melanoma removed from my face last summer and one removed from my arm in December. I will stay vigilant with my checkups! ❤️

I had stage 1 melanoma 5 years ago found mine when i was on the beach putting sun screen on my legs...It was caught early Thank God. I will always have to be on guard now for any type of cancer...We all do 💝

I went to a Dr and told it was a fungal infection . I believed and went about my days working . At times it seemed like it was getting better then worse. For many it was hard to believe that melanoma can form under a thumbnail . The nail became crumbly and the nailbed darkened . One day readying for work I dropped a hanger and it cut through my thumb . I cried " Lord , What are You telling me "". Long story short .. It had already went to my brain . Stage 4 Melanoma .. I have had many procedures , Scans , Infusions , surgeries . Now every day is weaker and weaker and soon I sleep . Lord be with me

I had a friend from High School (in Australia) who died at age 21 from melanoma. She baked and baked her fair skin & I remember seeing her lying in the sun during the school lunch break out on the sports oval. Skin cancer can strike at ANY age. No matter how old you are, get your skin checked & use sunscreen, a hat and cover up. Unfortunately in Australia, there is STILL this myth that a tan makes you look healthy & I wince at seeing people with sunburn or that are sunbaking. We have to change people's perceptions about tanning and sun-worshipping. And it is so, so sad for Krista's loved ones - my heart goes out to them and I am so sorry for their loss :-(

This is so sad! Wishing for healing for her family and husband. Just heart breaking 😢

My husband had a melanoma removed and after 5 years they found some cancer cells in his lymph nodes which were also removed but another 5 years later it spread to his lungs, liver and bones and he only lived for 9 months. They said it could have come from when he was in the Royal Air Force stationed in Malaya in the 1950s when he worked on aircraft with no shirt on, although they couldn’t be absolutely sure. They said it can take 40 years to develop.

The video was so touching, then I get to the comments and just shake my head. There are some cold hearted people out there.

I am a 76 year old retired surgical nurse. I had a small bump on the top of my head last July, I thought it was a bug bite. Over the next few months it slowly grew & started to itch. I had my hairdresser take a picture of it with my phone so that I could see what it looked like and it didn't seem all that bad, maybe a cyst? I had my yearly appointment with my dermatologist on November 5th and she biopsied it thinking it was a basal cell like one I had a couple of years ago on my forehead. I was shocked when I saw the path report the next week on my portal, it said invasive Desmoplastic Melanoma. I had never heard of it as it's a rare type of Melanoma. By the time I saw the surgical oncologist on December 15th it had found another bump above my left ear. He did a punch biopsy of it and it was in transit metastatic Desmoplastic Melanoma. I was started on Keytruda immunotherapy on December 30 and in February I found a third bump above my left ear next to where the previous one was. So after 4 rounds of Keytruda, given by infusion every 3 weeks, I had surgery. The surgeon noticed a small nodule behind my left ear while looking at my scalp prior to taking me to the OR. The original tumor was found to be dead and the wide excision over and behind my ear had less than a 0.1 millimeter margin. The Keytruda infusions are being continued through the end of the year and a PET scan is planned for September. I was never a sun bather but I did go tubing once about 35 years ago where I got a bad sunburn. I use sunscreen every time I go out on a sunny day.

So sorry about the loss of your beautiful daughter. I had melanoma on my foot a few years ago. I was blessed by the that it was stage zero, in situ. I got two biopsies before I was given the all clear. I know firsthand that skin cancer does not discriminate. I live on Oahu. I hope that your daughter had amazing moments on whatever Hawaiian island she was visiting. Your family is in my prayers.❤️❤️🙏🏾🙏🏾❤️❤️

So truly sorry for your loss. What a real inspiration she was and is. I will be going to an apt., this Monday for many spots on my legs, I've been in remission from breast cancer for 2yrs, though there's no promise what the future holds for any of us. I'm praying the spots that never gave any problems till breast cancer will be fine, if not, I pray I can be as strong as your daughter/wife. God bless you all each and every day!!!!

I lost my wonderful Aunt Jan in March 2020 from melanoma...life just isn't as colourful without her presence.