Danielle Dick American pregnant with twins with stage 4 melanoma Country: USA

Biography of Danielle Dick

Danielle Dick, a pregnant mother of twins, vowed to postpone her stage 4 melanoma treatment in order to save the lives of her babies. Now 31 years old, Danielle began experiencing severe headaches during her pregnancy. Her condition continued to worsen, and at one point, Dick nearly lost her ability to speak. At 17 weeks pregnant, she was admitted to the hospital in Goddard, Kansas, where doctors discovered metastatic melanoma in her brain and abdominal wall. At this stage of the disease, the survival rate is less than 20%. However, the loving mother, who already had one child at the time, decided to postpone a significant part of her treatment until the following month. She sacrificed her own health to ensure the development of her babies, who were due to be born prematurely at 29 weeks. Danielle wanted to share her story to emphasize the seriousness of skin cancer and encourage others to undergo regular medical check-ups. Doctors believe that the removal of a mole in 2011 may have been the cause of Danielle's melanoma. Her spouse, Tyler, noticed a "strange mole" on Danielle's back in 2010. However, a biopsy determined it to be benign, so there was no cause for concern. After the mole grew back and continued to look unusual, the couple sought a second opinion. This time, the biopsy confirmed the presence of melanoma, and Danielle underwent surgery to remove the cancer in late 2011. Following surgery and two years of dermatologist check-ups, Danielle was considered cancer-free for five years. She went on to have a healthy baby girl named Taylor in 2015. The family was overjoyed when Danielle became pregnant again, this time with twins, in December 2016. However, it wasn't until April 2017, at 17 weeks pregnant, that Danielle learned her melanoma had returned and metastasized to her brain and abdominal wall. Danielle underwent several surgeries to fight the cancer but postponed the rest of her treatment to ensure the safety of her twins. On May 1, 2017, Danielle had surgery to remove three malignant growths in her brain, followed by another surgery on May 4 to remove two tumors from her abdominal wall. All the destroyed tumors consisted of pigmented skin cells, similar to the mole that had been removed in the past and had returned. In early June 2016, Danielle underwent radiation therapy targeting the areas of her brain where the cancerous tumors had been removed. Additional MRI scans showed that the cancer had spread further, but the patient refused to take medication that could help her fight the aggressive disease. She explains, "Most anti-cancer drugs are not safe to take during pregnancy." After a serious discussion, Danielle and Tyler decided to postpone further treatment until the twins are born in early July, two months before their due date. The infants will spend several weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, and each placenta will be tested for cancer cells, as melanoma can rarely reach babies through the umbilical cord. After the birth, Danielle plans to resume treatment, although she is unsure of its effectiveness. She stated that a new targeted therapy will be used in her case, but she knows very little about it. The expectant mother shared her story in hopes of raising funds to cover medical expenses and spread awareness about the seriousness of skin cancer. "I want people to understand that skin cancer is not something to be silent about," says Danielle. "People need to check their skin and wear sunscreen. People think skin cancer is easily treatable, but if melanoma metastasizes, the prognosis is grim." Metastatic melanoma is the most severe form of skin cancer. Secondary malignant skin lesions most often occur in young people and are the leading cause of cancer death in women aged 25-30. Melanoma develops in melanocytes, a special type of cell. Symptoms often only manifest after the cancer has metastasized. The most obvious sign is a new or strange-looking mole. Most tumors are brown or black, although some may be pink, reddish-brown, or even white. Other symptoms include raised formations under the skin, swollen or painful lymph nodes, difficulty breathing, persistent cough, liver swelling, and bone pain. According to estimates, 90% of melanoma cases are caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from both natural sources, such as the sun, and artificial sources, such as tanning beds. The five-year survival rate for stage 4 melanoma is less than 20%, and the ten-year survival rate is approximately 10-15%. Last year, the Cleveland Clinic claimed that skin cancer is much more deadly for pregnant and recently pregnant women. Research showed that women with melanoma during pregnancy or within a year after giving birth are five times more likely to die. Scientists believe that hormones circulating in the body during pregnancy, particularly estrogen, are responsible for the increased risk.