Youngest of 9

My great grandmother had nine children. My Granny is the oldest. Adam was the youngest. He was 49. The same age as my mother. He died this morning. Melanoma, was the culprit. They had found it last year and removed it. They thought they had it beat. Then on a routine scan about a month ago, they found it had spread to his lungs, and other internal organs. He was stage 4. The doctors gave him up to 4 years to live if the treatment worked. However, because of a heart attack a couple years ago, they didn't know if the treatment would work or kill him. He wanted to live and decided to get the treatment. The treatment caused him to start throwing blood clots into his lungs a couple of days ago and until this morning he was in the ICU. This evening I received a phone call from my dad telling me that Adam had passed away. My Granny's youngest brother, a good man, a husband, a father, and a friend lost his battle with cancer.

Please know the signs of melanoma and screen yourself. Look for moles that are asymmetric, that have scalloped edges, that are not a consistent color, or are larger than a pencil eraser. Moles that are melanoma may also bleed, itch or look inflamed. Use sunscreen PLEASE.

Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers. This is going to be a difficult time for us but as a family we will make it through it.