Best Of

Claire,

It is understandable that you don’t know what to think given the news you’ve received. I am going to be honest and say I don’t know much about skin mets. I did want to address one thing you mentioned; “ All sites say that end stage happens with mets.”

While that is technically true, as we know there is no cure for stage IV, treatments have come a long way in increasing survival time. Although it’s no substitute for a cure, there are many more of us living for years with stage IV and we continue to hope that newer treatments will bring increased longevity and a true cure . So stage IV is theoretically end stage (there is no stage V) but it doesn’t mean death is imminent. There are many members who have been stage IV for years.

While I know this is an emotional time, don’t put your foot in the grave before you have to. Me? 13 years at stage IV and while I realize I’m an outlier , there are more and more of us . Take the time to experience all the emotions connected with this news and then, once your tx plan is in place, move forward. There are no guarantees, no crystal balls, but things may not be as bleak as they seem. Take care