At the age of 26, Jackie found a lump in her bikini line. She saw doctor after doctor, all who told her it was nothing to worry about.
But as a Ph.D. student, Jackie was determined to get to the bottom of her health issue. She finally found out her lump was cancer, but when she heard the words "melanoma," she was shocked. As a young African-American woman, skin cancer was the last thing on her mind.
After being told by doctors it would be a miracle if she survived 5 years, she decided to come to Moffitt for melanoma treatment. Today, she is cancer free and telling everyone she can about the importance of skin cancer screening - and not taking "no" for an answer when it comes to your health.
Watch as she tells her story in her own words.
- Meet Jackie, Melanoma Survivor & PhD student at Syracuse University
- How old were you when you first suspected something was wrong?
- And was that lump painful?
- What did your doctor think the lump was?
- Did you get a second opinion for your lump?
- Once you were told you had melanoma, what was your initial prognosis?
- How did you come to Moffitt?
- Tell us a little more about your treatment at Moffitt, including your melanoma surgery?
- Did you experience any side effects?
- When you were told you had Melanoma and five years to live, as an African-American what went through your mind?
- Did Moffitt say that this was something extremely rare?
- What do you tell other young people about skin cancer?
- How do you feel about your surgeon and the Moffitt staff?
- How long have you been cancer free?
- Is skin cancer reoccurrence on your mind?
- What do you tell others when you talk about Moffitt?
