The Miracle of Modern Medicine

When I was diagnosed with stage II melanoma last March, there were no effective systemic treatments for melanoma. Three months later, when I found out that my melanoma had returned as a stage III disease, that had changed. In early June, researchers at Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that they had completed a successful trial of a drug known as ipilimumab. For the first time in thousands of years of human history, we now have a way to treat late stages an incredibly dangerous disease. Every time I think of the miraculous timing of that announcement I feel more than a little overwhelmed. I'm currently in a clinical trial testing ipi (as it is known), and I am incredibly grateful to have that chance.