Melanoma Survivor
Paige Lazorenko
Will Be Sharing Her Story When She Was Diagnosed With Stage 3B Metastatic Melanoma At Just 17 Years Old.

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My name is Paige Lazorenko, and in 2015 I was diagnosed with Stage 3B Metastatic Melanoma Skin Cancer at just 17 years old. It all started with a raised/dark mole on my back that started to itch & cause me discomfort. I saw a dermatologist who then did a biopsy on the mole and removed it. After discovering that it was in fact Melanoma I was sent to a surgeon in Fargo, ND. There I had scans, tests, lab work & a procedure to remove Lymph Nodes from underneath my armpits to see how far the Melanoma had progressed. The Melanoma had traveled from its primary location which was the mole, into my Lymphatic System which helps balance fluid in blood & tissue, along with defending the body against bacteria. Some of the Lymph Nodes that were removed came back positive which meant, the cancer had spread. 

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The doctors knew it was spreading fast and suggested we find a hospital/facility that could help provide the proper treatment I needed. Melanoma in pediatric patients was uncommon & not a lot of health providers had experience with my specific case. We reached out to Mayo in Rochester, MN in hopes to find some answers but after visiting with the doctor at my visit, he could not help nor provide the treatments I was needing. We didn’t lose hope and after searching and searching for a treatment facility to take my case, St. Jude Children’s Hospital answered our prayers. Within a few weeks, I was flown out to Memphis, TN to their main Hospital where I found an oncologist who specializes in Melanoma and he took my case.

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For the first two weeks I did MRI’s, blood work, fasting, X-Rays, CT Scans, PET Scans, and had a PICC line port in. The following 4 weeks I received intense infusions everyday through Immunotherapy. The medication “Interferon” was to help boost my immune system to fight off cancer cells. After the 4 weeks I was sent home to receive shots every 3 days for 11 months. These months I was very sick, weak & struggling but I never gave up! 

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I had no recurrences within the months I was being treated and in 2016 had finally completed my 12 months of treatments. I am now 23 years old & after being told I had a 5 year survival rate, I have now been in remission for 5 years! Stronger & more determined than ever. Grateful to be here and share my story. 

Melanoma is a scary and life threatening disease that can happen to anyone. Being a former Esthetician & Skin Cancer Survivor it is my goal and mission to educate and share my story as much as I can with people to bring awareness. If I can help just one person by providing them with value on the importance of skin care, I've done my job! Protecting your skin and focusing on prevention is key. Because after all your skin is the largest organ your body has, built to protect you.