The First, its my story

Hey there Hey!

My name is Erin Bond. I am from Mt. Vernon, Illinois. I graduated from Rend Lake Junior College and Eastern Illinois University. I majored in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Public Relations. I now live in Glen Carbon. I love my job and my boss. I have great friends and family. I love my life and wouldn't change anything. . . well kinda

My story: First, I am ok. I hate talking about myself. But I love my friends and family and wanted to do this for them. March 2008 I found a mole on the back of my left thigh. I didn't think to much of it. But then it started getting bigger. I finally decided to do something about it and I made an appointment to see a dermatologist. With my crazy schedule, trying to graduate on time in May, and the doctors busy schedule I didn't have my appointment until May 27th, 2008. My dermatologist, Dr. N, saw the mole and said that he wanted to take it off that day. I knew by how fast it had grown that it couldn't be good. But I was glad it was off and all I could do now was wait for the news.

I was at work a week later at Eastern when I got the call. I went outside on my break to check my voicemail and Dr. N had left a message asking me to call him on his cell phone. He said he checked it twice and hated to tell me but it was melanoma. He said to call him at anytime and he would do anything to help me beat this. I was speechless. I told my boss I had to leave. Got in my car and cried all the way home. I had to stop my car on the way home because I was crying so hard. Then I had to call my family. Ahhhh it was hard. 

I then had a second meeting with Dr. N and discussing what my next step should be, surgery. It was decided I was going to Barns Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. to have the surgery. I was under the care of the chief surgeon of oncology, Dr. Moley. (I had to laugh when I heard that the doctor, who was going to be cutting on me, had a name so similar to what started all of this. I try to always see some light) I didn't have to have any skin graphing thanks to his magic. I say magic because he took a chunk, the size of a small football, out of my leg by just using extremely large stitches. 

June 20, 2008 I had skin removed on the back of my left thigh to make sure all the melanoma cells were gone. They also removed one lymph node in my groin on the left side. This was because if it were to spread the first place it would move to would be through the lymph nodes. So then I had to wait another week to get back those results. I am still at Eastern trying to finish up my final three college classes when I get the call. I was driving but I answered. It was the doctor from Barns Hospital. He said that the results from the biopsy showed a small tumor in the lymph node. I didn't cry, well till I got home. The doctor said I would have to have the rest of the lymph nodes in the left groin removed. He told me the risk factors: leg swelling that could last, draining tubes, infections, staples, and a walker. 

August 1st, 2008 I had the surgery. You learn a lot about your body when you go through something like this. I learned that there are lymph nodes closer to the surface and then there are also deeper ones. While I was under they took 13 surface lymph nodes and 1 deep lymph node. The one deep lymph node was then reported to have a small tumor in it. Therefore, the doctor decided to also take out the deep tissue lymph nodes while I was still out. I had a total of 26 lymph nodes removed. 

I was in the hospital for three days. I had a morphine drip for the first 36 hours that I pushed every 15 minutes. I had two draining tubes that came out of my left thigh. I also had close to 40 staples. My leg was so swollen. I learned how to walk again, using a walker. All I have to say is God has a sense of humor. But I made it. I always had friends and family there with me. I went home to recover and wait for the results. 6 out of the 26 lymph nodes were cancerous. It was time to see an oncologist and find out the next step. 

One oncologist was from St. Louis and one was from my hometown Mt. Vernon. I listened to both opinions. They basically said the same thing. We had gotten everything out during surgery but there could still be some cells throughout the body. Those cells could then start grouping together which would be bad.  So the next step was to start a treatment called interferon. To make sure the cancer didn't come back. Basically to boost the immune system. It was going to be a two phase treatment. The first phase was to do treatment Monday through Friday from 9:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. This phase was to last 4 weeks. Then the second phase was to give myself injections three times a week for 11 months. I decided that I would do the treatment in MV because thats where most of my family and friends were. I needed rides to treatment and such because it really made me feel sick. They all were awesome!

September 2008 I had surgery to have a port put in. The purpose of the port was so that my veins wouldn't collapse. Since the first phase was going to be done intravenously it made since to have it put in. I then started treatment sometime during the first week in September. It wasn't easy. The first day I got so sick. I was feverish with the aches. I was so nauseous. I just remember praying and asking God to please let me get through it. He answered my prayer. I did. I would wake up and have my mom take me to treatment, finish around 2:00 p.m., go eat if I felt up to it, then be taken home to fall asleep till I had to wake up and do it again. My friends and family had a benefit for me during the second week of treatment. It was so nice. I really just wanted to do it so that I could tell everyone thank you. Thanking them for the cards, flowers, prayers, words, and everything else. It was a great night. They raised over $6,000.  I was speechless. 

I then started the second phase. I moved to Glen Carbon, Il. to move on with my life. I didn't want it to stop me. It took me a while to be able to give myself the shot. I had my mom , my roommate's friend, my roommate, and my sister give me my shot before I could do it myself. I would give the shot right before bed so that I hopefully could sleep through all of the side effects. I could never tell if I would get them or not. Sometimes I would sleep through the night and other nights I would be laying in the bathroom floor. Its hard to talk about all that for a couple of reasons. I didn't want people to know how bad I was really feeling. My hair was thinning. I felt like I had a bad flew all the time. Then fell out one morning. I didn't want to worry my family or friends. It was just a really hard time.

In December 2008 before Christmas I had all these scans to make sure the cancer hadn't came back and the treatment was working. Great news! I was good! Everything was clear and looking good. It was a great present I had been praying for! Still doing the treatment and getting sick now and then but I was clear! I would go to my oncologist, Dr. O, once a month. This was just for blood work and to make sure everything was going like planned. 

In the beginning of April 2009 I found a not under my skin on my left arm. I didn't worry to much about it. A week later I had thought it had gotten bigger so I went to see Dr. O. He said that the only way to know was to have it removed. He didn't think it was anything but couldn't say 100% unless we took it out and had it checked. I asked when my next scans were scheduled and if it was soon enough to wait. I had scans scheduled every three months to make sure the cancer didn't come back. I was due for the scans. So we set it up for two weeks out. A week before the scan I found another lump in my neck. Smaller but you could still feel it. So I went to the appointment knowing of two lumps in my body. Praying that it was just a cyst. I finally got the news. It seemed to take forever.

The one lump in the arm showed up on the scan. The scan also showed one in my right leg and three on the back of my left shoulder that I could not feel. The one in the neck didn't but now I had found another. So I had two in the neck, three on the left shoulder, one in the left arm and one in the right leg. Total of seven. I could only feel three. So I was scheduled to have surgery to remove the one in the left arm and the bigger one of the two in the neck. I had two lumps removed and had to wait to get those results back. They both were cancerous. This suggested that all seven then would be as well. So I still have five tumors left in. All small in size.

I thought Dr. O was going to cry when he told me the news. He said it was bad news. He wasn't saying go home and lay down because I am only 23 but it wasn't good. The treatment didn't work. He said we have to find something better. The problem is that there isn't a lot of approved treatments for melanoma. Chemotherapy isn't effective on melanoma. The chances are 1 in 5. We want something with better chances. So the next option is to try and find studies and trials. I tried getting into the NIH, national institute of health, but didn't qualify. These studies are still in research stage so there are many different specific requirements to qualifier as a candidate. Now we are trying to get me in to Sloan Catering in New York. If that doesn't work M.D. Anderson in Texas is the another great hospital. I will do the Chemo if that is my only option but everyone is making sure that there aren't other options. There has to be but we just have to find it.

So there it is. . . where I am today. Waiting to hear from Dr. N tomorrow to see if I can go to New York or  M.D. Anderson.  

I love my friends and family. I wouldn't  have been able to get this far along with out all of you. There are so many people who have touched my life. I am so thankful for it all. Even the bad. I have tried to stay positive and strong. It is what it is and I just have to do what is best for me. I love my God and know that there is a reason for everything. I don't want this to define me as a person. God has his plan for me and I am walking beside him. 

Again thank you to everyone. 

Love~