Landon’s Story: Living with Childhood Cancer

Guest blog post by Landon Agosta, a pediatric melanoma survivor: 

My name is Landon Agosta and I am from Marine City, MI. I have four siblings, two older and two younger. Some of my favorite things are baseball, basketball, football, tennis and volleyball. I also like meatballs and spaghetti. 

I was almost 8 years old when I was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma. Having cancer is a ruthless pain. For me it was on my back and it was like 100 needles were being poked into my back before it was removed. Having a year of treatments was something I had to learn to deal with. I do not like needles and everything about the treatments was not good. By the time I was finished with the treatments I was giving them to myself with my parents help. Being tired all the time and feeling sick is not a kid’s first thought.  

My family was impacted by not doing everything we wanted to do that summer such as playing baseball and we were going to go camping or vacation but that didn’t happen. 

My life has changed a lot since I was diagnosed with cancer. One way is that I was in the hospital more than at home, but I was still with my family when I could see them. We became closer than ever. After all the surgeries and other stuff, I was back to playing sports and everything I loved but living with cancer sucks.

Some things to know about melanoma is you can prevent it by wearing sunscreen, hats and UV protective clothing. It is important because most melanoma comes from the UV rays from the sun. Nowadays you never see me without a hat and as much protection as I can. I like to teach others about what I went through because it is important for those to learn about something they don’t know.  

I attend the summits because I meet a lot of new people and it’s really fun. My favorite part about the summits are when we go in to the group activities it’s really fun and there is a variety of activities to do while we are there. I know my parents always learn a lot.  

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and stories like Landon’s are a powerful reminder that melanoma can affect even the youngest members of our community. In honor of Landon and the 500 additional families who will be affected by pediatric melanoma this year, please consider a tax-deductible gift to support further research, better treatments and progress towards a cure.

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