Photo from left to right: My Family, Michael Bagosy (5 months), David Bagosy, Tina Becoskie, Christina Clarkson (11), Lisa Bagosy, Nicholas Bagosy (6), Michael Becoskie, and Samantha Bagosy (3).

It has been over a year now since I was diagnosed with stage III malignant melanoma and since then always wanted to share my story...

When I was a kid getting burned wasn't really a concern cause it would tan and you would look nice and healthy. If you hurt so bad from sunburn you would just spray some Solarcaine on and the sunburn would go away in a day or two. Nobody worried about what kind of effect the sun would have on our skin. Especially me until last year.

In October of 2005 while pregnant with my third child, I noticed that a mole I had on my upper left arm started to grow off the skin just a little. It was small and a light skin color nothing to be concerned about. Over the next two months it grew rapidly. I went to my family doctor and he recommended that I follow up with a dermatologist after I have the baby but it is probably nothing to worry about. I made the appointment to have it removed after the baby was born. My son Michael was born in January 2006. Two weeks later I had the appointment with the dermatologist to have this mole looked at. At the appointment, the doctor said "It don't look like anything to worry about we don't have to remove it, unless you really want to." I said "Please take it off, it is very annoying!" He checked my other moles and made an appointment to come back in two weeks to have two other moles removed. I returned to the doctor’s two weeks later to have this simple procedure done again and remove the moles. This time I had my kids with me never expecting to get the news this doctor told me (remember when I was there last he said it was nothing to worry about). He took me in the office and told me the mole was sent out for biopsy and he had bad news. I thought I am 31 years old, healthy, and married with 3 small children. What could possibly be so bad? The biopsy came back as a malignant melanoma. I knew that malignant melanoma was not good but I didn't know anything about it. I asked him "Will I be okay?", and all he could say was "I hope so, you have skin cancer and you have to see a specialist and oncologist right away. This can't wait." It was at that moment I lost it, crying hysterically in front of my kids, the office staff, and other patients in the office. I could not believe that this was happening, just last month I felt so blessed with the birth of a healthy new baby and a wonderful family that I love so much and now it seemed that my world was ending.

Fortunately, I was able to see a doctor in Philadelphia that same week and he had done a biopsy under the skin where the mole was to see if any melanoma was detected. After several readings of the biopsy being sent to Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, the labs were very unsure what was going on with me. One test came back benign and two came back malignant. This made me and my family very upset not knowing what was going on. I was referred to a surgical specialist at Thomas Jefferson for lymph node mapping and many, many tests. After weeks of sleepless nights, I was scheduled for mapping and surgery the end of March 2006. As an outpatient at Thomas Jefferson I had surgery done to remove the lymph nodes. When I came out the doctor said the good news was they only had to remove one lymph node and the melanoma may have only been on the surface in the mole. The biopsy report came back and it was positive for malignant melanoma. I was rescheduled for surgery again the end of April 2006 to remove several more lymph nodes in the same area. This time they removed 17 more lymph nodes and one mole on my chest and two moles on my back.

I was told it was very possible that the pregnancy hormones are what triggered the melanoma on the surface and if not for the pregnancy it may have advanced further into a stage IV. I was told to see an Oncologist and follow up. My Oncologist told me I had two options, get treatments for a year(which would keep me sick for most of the year) or just watch and observe with x-rays and blood work and just hope it doesn't come back. In my situation, 31 years old, a wife, and a mother of three, one being a newborn infant, I chose to just watch closely and hope it doesn't come back. It has been a year since being diagnosed and so far things are looking good. I get full body checkups, blood work, and x-rays every three months. I also continue to see three doctors and get CT scans every year.

During all this I was reading the newspaper one morning and saw an article on The Foundation for Melanoma Research. It was almost like it was meant for me. The article was about Noreen O'Neill and The first annual Running for Cover. This article made me feel like I was not alone because I really thought I was. I checked out the website and really wanted to share my story but I just wasn't ready. Now I am and I make sure I tell people every chance I get the importance of prevention and to just be aware of how this cancer really can affect anyone of all ages.

I participated in The First Annual Running for Cover run/walk with my family and friends in 2006 and plan on participating this year and every year. I never knew Noreen but a part of me feels like I did. I read her story and visit the website www.foundationformelanomaresearch.org frequently and I would like to thank you all for your time and help to continue focusing on raising awareness and funds to research Melanoma.

	EVENTS
	2nd Annual Running For Cover Join us for a fun and fulfilling morning at the Wachovia Complex on June 24, 2007 for the 2nd Annual Foundation for Melanoma Research Running for Cover Run/Walk.
	Clark Lecture March 2002-2006 The foundation supports the annual Clark Lecture and melanoma symposium.

	NEWS

Revolution Health, is a new health care website started by AOL co-founder Steve Case. Revolution Health helps individuals take action to manage their health care, conditions and healthy living goals by bringing together a blend of the best health information, tools, communities and services all in one place. See what Revolution Health has to say about skin cancers.