{"id":27948,"date":"2019-12-04T15:51:04","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T22:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=27948"},"modified":"2023-02-20T08:38:19","modified_gmt":"2023-02-20T15:38:19","slug":"coping-with-metastatic-melanoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/coping-with-metastatic-melanoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Coping with metastatic melanoma thanks to an unrelenting smile"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"melanoma
Lauren Race was diagnosed with melanoma at just 24. As a child and a teen, she spent plenty of time in the sun and in tanning beds. Since her diagnosis, she’s been fighting melanoma and spreading the word about the dangers of tanning beds. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s sunset and pink light casts a glow on the young woman\u2019s translucent skin.<\/p>\n

She looks like any other 30-something having fun on a beautiful fall evening. She has her sky-blue cruiser bike with her along with two devoted gents: her boyfriend of eight years and their German shepherd, Kane.<\/p>\n

Lauren Race is remarkably upbeat. She\u2019s smiling and laughing. You can\u2019t tell what a high price she has paid for childhood summers spent outdoors at the pool, getting burnt to a crisp, or the teen years when she used tanning beds religiously so she could sport a bronze sheen at volleyball games, homecoming and prom.<\/p>\n

When Lauren was only 24, her grandmother insisted she see a doctor about a large, oozing mole on the top of her head. She\u2019d had it for years, all the way back to fifth or sixth grade. It was annoying. She\u2019d part her blond hair to hide the black mole, but she figured it was a harmless inconvenience.<\/p>\n

\"Lauren
Lauren enjoyed a carefree, athletic childhood in Florence, Colorado. She was shocked to be diagnosed with metastatic melanoma at just 24. Since then, she’s become a pro at coping with cancer and living a joyful life. Photo courtesy of Lauren Race.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lauren saw a dermatologist in Colorado Springs. He took a sample for a biopsy. The results were supposed to come back in about two weeks. The doctor\u2019s parting words haunted her: \u201cI\u2019ll pray for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just six days later, Lauren learned she had melanoma and was referred to another doctor for surgery. She wasn\u2019t too worried, especially when that surgeon said that he\u2019d been able to remove all the cancer and that there was only a small sign of it in a lymph node.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t sound concerned at all. He told me I was good to go,\u201d Lauren recalled.<\/p>\n

A life-saving second opinion<\/h3>\n

Coincidentally, a friend of Lauren\u2019s from high school was working as a receptionist in the melanoma clinic at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a> on the Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>. She encouraged Lauren to see one of the specialists there. Since Coloradans are exposed to so much sun at high elevations and melanoma is relatively common here, the melanoma experts at the hospital are some of the best in the world.<\/p>\n

Thanks to her friend, Lauren was able to get help quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was my angel on Earth. I got in within a week. Thank God. I\u2019ve known a handful of patients who have waited to get in and unfortunately didn\u2019t make it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauren saw Dr. Karl Lewis<\/a>. After scans and a thorough exam, Lewis gave Lauren sad, but critical news. Her cancer was not under control. She was not \u201cgood to go.\u201d Lewis encouraged Lauren to start immediately on additional treatments.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Lauren credits Dr. Karl Lewis, an expert on metastatic melanoma, with saving her life. Photo: UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cHe saved my life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The treatments to fend off Lauren\u2019s cancer have been brutal at times, but throughout her fight, she has served as a beacon of hope for others. She inspires cancer survivors on social media. She recently received the Melanoma Courage Award from the Melanoma Research Foundation.<\/p>\n

Lauren posts pictures of herself going through the roughest of treatments \u2013 at times with a shaved head and terrible scars. Yet, remarkably she is grinning in nearly all of the photos.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the only way you get through it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Lauren arrives at medical appointments ready to rib her doctors and nurses. Even tethered to IVs, she smiles and holds an arm up like she\u2019s just won a marathon.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe makes you feel good on your bad days,\u201d said Cherie Pryor, a friend of Lauren\u2019s since third grade, who was inspired to become an oncology nurse because of Lauren.<\/p>\n

\"Lauren
Lauren has a zest for life and enjoys posting zany pictures on social media. She uses humor to cope with metastatic melanoma. Her boyfriend loves fishing. Here, Lauren shows off the catch of the day. Photo courtesy of Lauren Race.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To endure her trauma, Lauren gives to others. She loves the Denver Broncos and regularly invites friends over to watch games and eat her delicious kitchen creations. Rarely does anyone leave empty handed. They go home with leftovers or little gifts Lauren has found for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer heart is enormous,\u201d said Pryor, who is now a nurse on the same unit where Lauren has received care at University of Colorado Hospital.<\/p>\n

A carefree childhood spent outside<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lauren was born in California, but grew up mostly in Florence, Colorado, a small town southwest of Colorado Springs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in the swimming pool every day in the summer with that Colorado sun beating down on me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She and her friends like Cherie rode around town on their bikes and spent time at a creek, swinging from a rope and plunging into the water. It all seemed carefree, safe and idyllic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWearing sunscreen was advised, but never forced. Oh, how I wish it had been,\u201d Lauren said.<\/p>\n

\"Melanoma
Lauren credits her family (seen here from when she was a teen) along with her boyfriend, her friends and her medical team with helping her cope with metastatic melanoma. Photo courtesy of Lauren Race.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a teen, she had bad acne and believed the myth that sun \u201cwould make your zits go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

She suffered severe burns many times: \u201cranging from scabs on my shoulders to blisters on my legs, and even my lips. But that never stopped me. All these imperfections would go away, and I would soon have that perfect tan.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also got hooked on tanning beds, using them as often as every day for about 10 years. Unfortunately, few people knew then how dangerous tanning beds were. Lauren had relatives and friends who owned them, so access was easy and, in the moment, there seemed to be no cost.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was addicted,\u201d Lauren said. \u201cNothing felt better to me than to lie in the warm bed, close my eyes and doze off to wake up an even darker complexion.\u201d<\/p>\n

After college, she attended school to become an esthetician, an expert in skin care. She learned about skin diseases \u2013 including melanoma \u2013 and the \u201cABCDEs\u201d to recognize it. They are \u201cA\u201d for asymmetric (one half looks different than the other), \u201cB\u201d for borders (irregular edges), \u201cC\u201d for color that is not uniform, \u201cD\u201d for diameter greater than 6 millimeters or the size of a pencil eraser and \u201cE\u201d for evolving, meaning the mole continues to change in size, shape or color.<\/p>\n

Of course, Lauren couldn\u2019t see the mole on her own head. And, she\u2019d been healthy and athletic all her life, never even breaking a bone. Not for a moment did she consider that she could have melanoma.<\/p>\n

Now she has become a dedicated advocate for skin cancer prevention. She wants to be sure all teen girls understand the dangers of tanning beds.<\/p>\n

\u201cPale skin is in. Our skin is the largest organ in the body and it needs to be protected at all times. A tan is not worth what could happen down the road,\u201d Lauren said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 32 years old and I had to spend the best part of my 20s dealing with cancer and the horrible parts of it, like chemo and not being able to drive because of seizures,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I would have known then what I know now, I never would have put myself in the situations I did,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u2018Give me the aggressive one\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When Lewis presented Lauren with treatment options back in 2012, she made a characteristic choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI go big or go home on everything,\u201d she said. So, she told Lewis: \u201cGive me the aggressive one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Even
Throughout her battle with metastatic melanoma, Lauren Race has kept smiling, even during the toughest times. Photo courtesy of Lauren Race.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At that time, that meant receiving what\u2019s known as bio-chemotherapy or a mixture of both biological agents and traditional chemotherapy. The combination of treatments produce rough side effects, but much better results for people coping with metastatic melanoma that has spread beyond the original tumor site.<\/p>\n

In order to receive her treatments, Lauren had to stay at University of Colorado Hospital for five days and endure terrible fevers, nausea and the indignity of adult diapers. She then got to go home for two weeks, only to return and start the regimen all over again. This went on for four treatments over three months.<\/p>\n

Remarkably, in the middle of all of this torment, Lauren was in a relatively new relationship.<\/p>\n

She and her boyfriend, Luke Wilson, had met through friends from college.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had only been together for five months when the biopsy came back,\u201d Lauren said.<\/p>\n

She confided in Luke about her fears. While he couldn\u2019t give her any guarantees about how her cancer would progress, he provided one note of certainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere,\u201d Luke said.<\/p>\n

\"Lauren
When Lauren first learned she had metastatic melanoma, she had just started dating her boyfriend, Luke Wilson. He assured her that he’d be loyal for the long haul saying, ‘Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.” The two have been inseparable and Luke helps distract Lauren with camping and fishing trips. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The couple has been inseparable ever since and Luke, who is a park ranger for the City of Lakewood, teams up with Lauren\u2019s parents and friends to attend every medical appointment with her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got the best support system in the world with Luke, my friends, my family and especially my parents, Lisa and Greg,\u201d Lauren said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver almost eight years, they\u2019ve all been at my side through every scan, every treatment, every surgery and everything in between.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019d be here if it weren\u2019t for all of them. They keep me happy. They keep me sane. They\u2019re the best,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Clean scans and high hopes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Following the brutal bio-chemotherapy treatments, Lauren\u2019s scans came back clean, and she was hopeful that she had beaten her melanoma for good. Cancer survivors consider it a great victory when they can go two years with \u201cno evidence of cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauren made it 18 months, then cancerous spots showed up on her lungs. She had to go back into the hospital and endure painful lung biopsies, then high-doses of a drug called Interleukin-2. It\u2019s a relatively new type of cancer-fighting medication, known as immunotherapy.<\/p>\n

Immunotherapy medications spark a patient\u2019s own immune system to recognize and fight cancer. (Read about a breast cancer patient who also responded well to immunotherapy.<\/a>)<\/p>\n

In decades past, patients with melanoma often had little hope, said Lewis, Lauren\u2019s cancer specialist, who is also a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cMelanoma was really the worst of the worst,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Even
Even with her head shaven and a big scar on top of her head, Lauren coped with metastatic melanoma with a big smile. Photo courtesy of Lauren Race.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI used to say that melanoma was the tumor type that gives cancer a bad name. But, then it went from that to the poster child for both immunotherapy and targeted therapies,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n

While Lauren was very unlucky to get melanoma, she has benefited from waves of new medications to fight melanoma.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrior to 2011, we really had no treatments,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n

Now, combinations of various medications are helping about half of melanoma patients survive over the long term.<\/p>\n

\u201cLauren has had some recurrences and setbacks, but there\u2019s no doubt that she\u2019s benefiting from these therapies,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cWe have reason for hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore these therapies were approved, half of our patients with metastatic melanoma would survive for only a year. Now, half of our patients are alive at five years. It\u2019s a dramatic change in a short period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tumors in the brain<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For Lauren, it\u2019s been critical to be in the care of doctors who are at the cutting edge of melanoma research and care. Thanks to her team, she\u2019s been able to stay one step ahead of her cancer.<\/p>\n

The Interleukin-2 worked for a time, but then her heart began racing and she spiked fevers higher than her nurses had ever seen and the nurses had to halt the treatments.<\/p>\n

Next, Lewis and his team tried infusions of another immunotherapy medication called Ipilimumab or Yervoy. It\u2019s known for shrinking tumors in patients with advanced melanoma.<\/p>\n

Genetic testing also showed that Lauren had a predisposition to getting melanoma because she has what\u2019s known as the BRAF+ gene. While researchers have made gains with immunotherapy medications, they also have discovered that they could fight a patient\u2019s cancer based on a specific defect that was causing the cancer. These treatments are known as targeted therapy. Lauren\u2019s doctors started her on two of these drugs known as Dabrafenib or Tafinlar and Trametinib or Mekinist.<\/p>\n

The new therapies kept Lauren\u2019s cancer from getting worse, but she didn\u2019t seem to improve.<\/p>\n

\"Lauren
After melanoma spread to Lauren’s brain, she had to have tumors removed with gamma radiation. The procedure requires a neurosurgeon to attach a frame to the patient’s skull, then aim extremely precise doses of gamma radiation at each tumor. Lauren kept smiling before and after the challenging procedures. Photo courtesy of Lauren Race.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, Lewis was going to start her on a newer immunotherapy medication called pembrolizumab or Keytruda. Before she could start on it, she had to have a scan on her brain. She assumed it would turn out fine. But, the day after the scan, before she had received results, Lauren and Luke were at Costco when she knew something was terribly wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was looking at a vending machine and I couldn\u2019t see anything,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She turned to Luke.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t see your face,\u201d Lauren said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI freaked out and emailed Dr. Lewis and said, \u2018something weird is happening,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Within hours, Lewis called her with the most wrenching news he had delivered since first telling Lauren how dangerous her melanoma was.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got your scans back and there are seven spots that are concerning,\u201d he told her.<\/p>\n

Her melanoma had spread into her brain.<\/p>\n

She soon saw Lewis in the clinic and learned that the pain in her head was a result of bleeding from the tumors.<\/p>\n

During nearly all of Lauren\u2019s visits with her team, she was lighthearted and joked with Dr. Lewis. But, on the day, she remembers him being very somber.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe explained that with brain bleeds, \u2018something catastrophic could happen,\u2019\u201d Lauren recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had never heard anything like that. It took my breath away,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

‘I consider myself so lucky’<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In order to cope with the brain tumors, Lauren had to subject herself to what felt like torture. Her neurosurgeon, Dr. Robert Breeze<\/a>, used highly targeted gamma radiation to kill each of the tumors in her brain at the Gamma Knife Center on the Anschutz medical campus.<\/a> (Click here<\/a> to read about another melanoma patient who coped with 98 brain tumors.)<\/p>\n

Twice, Breeze and his team had to attach a frame to Lauren’s skull with surgical pins.<\/p>\n

\"Lauren
To cope with metastatic melanoma, Lauren has embraced the outdoors. Here, she kayaks on a mountain lake. Photo courtesy of Lauren Race.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then she had to slide into a tunnel, where the frame on her head locked into the device. Dr. Breeze and his team deliver extremely precise doses of radiation that, over time, kill the tumors and spare the rest of the brain from any radiation.<\/p>\n

Lauren’s first treatment lasted nearly four hours.<\/p>\n

Her doctors later found another tumor and Lauren had to have a second brain radiation treatment. Thankfully, that one was shorter.<\/p>\n

Despite the difficulty of the brain treatments, Lauren smiled in photos and tapped dark humor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kept referring to myself as Hannibal Lecter,\u201d she said, referencing the spooky serial killer from the horror movie, Silence of the Lambs<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Breeze echoed Dr. Lewis in saying that the evolution of melanoma treatments<\/a> has been amazing and rewarding.<\/p>\n

“In the past, when I was treating melanoma patients, I was trying to give them a few extra months of quality time,” Breeze said. “Now, I’m hoping we’re giving them many years of long-term remission.”<\/p>\n

While the radiation treatments killed Lauren’s brain tumors, she wasn\u2019t out of the woods yet. After taking two types of immunotherapy medications, she got what\u2019s known as drug-induced hepatitis. While the drugs were helping her, they were also attacking her.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the toxicity of the drugs,\u201d Lauren said.<\/p>\n

Once again, she had to be hospitalized in what proved to be a very scary episode.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t know if I was ever going to leave the hospital. This hepatitis was trying to kill me,\u201d she said. \u201cI was in for seven days on massive doses of steroids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauren has fought her melanoma with multiple types of immunotherapy medications over the past 5 years. And, she has had to deal with additional tumors, including a lime-sized mass that had to be removed from her belly last year.<\/p>\n

But, Lauren\u2019s most recent scans came back clean.<\/p>\n

\u201cI consider myself so lucky,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Prevention key to fighting melanoma<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lauren is an inspiration both in terms of her resiliency and her optimism.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was diagnosed at such a young age,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cYoung adults are growing in their careers and in their lives. She\u2019s had to deal with this extremely deadly disease. And she has fought it for many, many years.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer attitude remains great,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe always makes us laugh and has an amazing willingness to go through everything we\u2019ve put her through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lauren
Lauren, with her beloved dog, Kane. Sadly, she recently had to put Kane down because a degenerative disease common to German shepherds left Kane sick and unable to walk. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lewis also appreciates Lauren\u2019s dedication to spreading the word about the danger of tanning beds and exposure to too much sun.<\/p>\n

\u201cUV light from the sun is a carcinogen. In Colorado, at the altitude where we live, the UV intensity is very strong,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n

He points out that you can suffer from sunburns year-round in Colorado.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can certainly get burnt in the winter, as anybody who skis in Colorado certainly knows. And, a sunburn in the winter is just as bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lauren
Lauren is always careful to cover her skin and wear hats. Here, she poses with her dog, Kane, at a mountain lake. Photo courtesy of Lauren Race.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

People enjoying the outdoors in Colorado should wear protective clothing and use sunscreens that are rated at SPF 30 or greater, Lewis said.<\/p>\n

Most at risk for melanoma are older men.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, it does affect young people,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n

And, unfortunately, the incidence of melanoma is on the rise.<\/p>\n

Even children can get it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very rare, but we have pre-teens in our clinic. That\u2019s the exception, but it has happened,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n

The risks for people of all ages make prevention key.<\/p>\n

Soaking up life<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Unfortunately, because of her cancer, Lauren is unable to work. But, she has embraced some of Luke\u2019s passions, including fishing and camping.<\/p>\n

Unlike those days in childhood when Lauren frequently got sunburned, she never goes outdoors these days without protective clothing, hats and sunscreen.<\/p>\n

Luke has a special awning that he hangs over their boat so Lauren has shade whenever the two go fishing. He also selects camping spots carefully to ensure that Lauren can spend time sheltered under trees.<\/p>\n

Lauren and Luke frequently go camping with Pryor and her boyfriend. During a trip over the summer, Lauren showed off the zaniness that Pryor has loved since childhood.<\/p>\n

The two couples were camping near Steamboat when Lauren and Pryor were driving near the campground and spotted an old brown leather recliner that someone had put out for the trash.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to stop and get that chair and take it back to the campsite,\u201d Lauren spontaneously announced.<\/p>\n

\"Lauren
Lauren loves doing silly, spontaneous things, like picking up this old recliner from the side of the road, and with her friend, Cherie Pryor, bringing it back to their campsite near Steamboat. Cherie is now a cancer nurse who helps treat other patients like her friend. Photo courtesy of Lauren Race.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The women erupted in laughter and loaded up the recliner. They set it up by the campfire and scored plenty of laughs when the gents returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was always the one who had the goofy ideas and would talk me into things,\u201d Pryor said. \u201cShe just knows how to soak up everything. Even with all she\u2019s going through, she\u2019s big on living life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauren says her attitude is quite deliberate.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome days are hard. It\u2019s definitely a mental game. But, I always tell myself, \u2018You\u2019re going to have a great day.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

And while making joy a part of each day, she keeps reminding others of an important message: \u201cKnow your skin. Check your skin. Love your skin.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s sunset and pink light casts a glow on the young woman\u2019s translucent skin. She looks like any other 30-something having fun on a beautiful fall evening. She has her sky-blue cruiser bike with her along with two devoted gents: her boyfriend of eight years and their German shepherd, Kane. Lauren Race is remarkably upbeat. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2123,"featured_media":27971,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[4758,28,749,1046,6762,184,4097],"class_list":["post-27948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","category-stories","tag-brain-tumor-treatment","tag-cancer-care-oncology","tag-dermatology","tag-health-screening","tag-melanoma-treatment","tag-neurology","tag-preventive-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCoping with metastatic melanoma thanks to an unrelenting smile - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lauren was only 24 when she learned that a mole on her head was skin cancer. She has coped with metastatic melanoma thanks to dedicated supporters.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/coping-with-metastatic-melanoma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Coping with metastatic melanoma thanks to an unrelenting smile\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lauren was only 24 when she learned that a mole on her head was skin cancer. 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