Melanoma Survivor
Survivor Advocates Melanoma Prevention to Young Adults
Diagnosed at 23 with Stage III melanoma, Mindi Helmandollar-Armatas never imagined she could get cancer at such a young age. The diagnosis left her feeling alone and isolated from her peers. After years of off-and-on treatments, including a few recurrences, she is doing all she can to help prevent anyone from feeling the way she did. Today, Mindi advocates for the importance of melanoma education, prevention and support.
When I was in high school and college, I was a cheerleader. Back then, believe it or not, we were expected to look tan at games. In college, we were even offered free tanning bed sessions to encourage it. I didn’t think anything of it because everyone was doing it. And, when you are young, no one thinks about the potential risks of tanning. Many younger people think cancer is an older person’s disease, but I quickly learned that melanoma can strike at any age.
After I graduated from college, a mole on the left side of my chest started bleeding. The dermatologist recommended observation for a couple of months. If it didn’t go away by then, he said to return. His suggestion did not sit well with me, so I sought a second opinion. The second dermatologist decided it would be best to remove it. When the results came back from pathology, I was stunned. I had Stage III melanoma. I was only 23 years old.
Receiving a melanoma diagnosis left me feeling very alone. Although I had the support of my family, I couldn’t talk about it with anyone my age because they couldn’t relate.
After having the melanoma removed, I faithfully had scans every three to six months and kept follow-up appointments. At the time, no additional treatment was needed. After five years, I “graduated” from cancer. Although my doctor thought my risk of a recurrence was low, I kept up with my annual skin checks.
Eight years after my original diagnosis, new symptoms emerged. I developed vitiligo on my back. Vitiligo is a disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or color. My eyelashes and eyebrows turned white, and I had a cough that wouldn’t go away.
New scans showed a tumor on my lung. Pathology confirmed that the original tumor had metastasized to my lung. My diagnosis was upgraded to Stage IV melanoma.
The lower left lobe of my lung was removed where the tumor was found. Unlike five years earlier, additional post-surgery treatments were available. I decided to try an immunotherapy. Unfortunately, while I was on it, I developed a new tumor in my leg. The drug treatment was not controlling the cancer, so my doctor switched to a targeted therapy. I did not tolerate it well, so we tried a different targeted therapy combination and, fortunately, it worked really well. I then had five and a half good years with very few side effects until a new tumor was found on my right ovary. I had surgery to remove my right ovary and fallopian tube.
I didn’t realize it, but a portion of the tumor that was removed from my lung years before had been saved. Therefore, they were able to compare it with this tumor and learned they were a match, which confirmed this was another metastasis from the original melanoma.
Following surgery, I began a new immunotherapy combination. After three treatments, I developed side effects that worsened quickly. The doctor immediately stopped one of the immunotherapies with the hope I could still tolerate the other. So far, I am, and the plan is for me to continue this treatment for another two years.
Everything I’ve been through has made me want to give back. I feel that educating young people about preventing future melanomas is critical. I use the teaching degree I earned to work with a local teaching hospital to design a curriculum for high school students warning of the dangers of spending too much time in the sun and using tanning beds.
I also partner with AIM at Melanoma to be a mentor to others and provide support. When I was first diagnosed, it was challenging to find resources for people my age, so I’m really happy to be able to help others who find themselves in that situation. I hope to reach all generations and educate them about melanoma prevention.
Today, I am more careful about being in the sun. I wear clothing that is 50 SPF, which is specially designed to block ultraviolet light from the sun. It’s amazing the styles available from dresses to work clothes. I also wear a wide-brimmed hat.
My advice to anyone diagnosed with melanoma is to put one foot in front of the other. You cannot look back at what you did or didn’t do, and you shouldn’t fear the future. You must stay fully in the present. Advocate for yourself. You know your body best. Speak up if you notice something strange, and don’t be afraid to get a second or third opinion. I tell everyone, skin safety now can save your life in the future.
