Patient Testimonial: LaShelle Rabold

Guest Blog SUBMITTED BY
LaShelle Rabold
Guest blog post by LaShelle Rabold, melanoma patient and advocate:
“I never had sunburns; I have my mother’s olive skin tone. I’m half Filipino and my complexion definitely showed it. I never wore sunscreen and in high school, college and sometimes after college I would go to the tanning bed in what we liked to call a “good base tan”.
I’ve always gone to the dermatologist, even as a young child due to my birth mark on my chest. The dermatologists were always worried about that spot, few biopsies at different ages and always came back clear thankfully. I was always very honest with my dermatologists too. They’d always ask the usual questions, do I wear sunscreen, how do I protect my skin so on and so forth. And I always told them I never wore sunscreen… that is why I’m here. Ignorant me thought that skin cancer was an easy fix. You just cut it out right? Then you are done, and all is well in the world.
After my second child in 2018, I noticed a spot on my leg, not very big, tiny little dot, but dark. We were in Texas at the time, so I went to a new dermatologist to do my annual skin check. She asked about the spot on my leg, told her it was new, and didn’t seem to be concerned. She did, however, take a biopsy of two other spots on my legs and they thankfully came back benign.
Fast forward to a new place and time. I’m now residing in the sunshine state (Florida) and needed to establish care with a new dermatologist. It went a lot like it did previously, asking me the same questions and me providing the same responses. He asked about the same spot on my leg, again, not concerned and did not biopsy.
I started getting laser hair removal on my legs. After 2 sessions I noticed that tiny spot turned into what looked like a tiny blister, or a pimple. I tried to pop it, but it did not budge. Since it had evolved into something else, I made the appointment to see my dermatologist again. He took another look at it and still didn’t seem concerned but took the biopsy anyway since I had told him how much it had changed. I have my theories, but I believe the laser hair removal either provoked that tiny spot into developing into melanoma, or it saved my life by exposing it. I’d like to think it was the latter of course.
July 6th, 2021 at the age of 35, I got the phone call from my dermatologist. I thought that was odd, I had never received a call from the actual dermatologist before, usually their assistants. He asked how my day was and I started discussing how sick my littlest was due to Covid and that we were quarantining. You could tell he didn’t want to deliver the news at this point. He let me know my results came back positive for Melanoma and that he will be referring me to a surgical oncologist and to make an appointment as soon as possible. I blacked out for a moment trying to process the information not understanding why I would need to go to someone like that and not quite understanding the severity. I didn’t know what this all meant but after I got off the phone I knew it was serious. I cried and I cried hard.
Clark levels is a system for describing how deep skin cancer has spread into the skin. There are five levels, and this was considered Clark Level 4, meaning it had spread into the reticular dermis, the lower layer of the skin.
I finally went in to see my surgical oncologist, he happened to be half Filipino as well, what are the odds? He prayed over me and we scheduled the surgery. Prior to surgery he ensured I received an injection of radioactive solution near the Melanoma tumor in my leg. I waited about 45 minutes and then was scanned to show which lymph nodes the solution drained into. This procedure is called a sentinel lymph node biopsy. He prayed over me again and I was rolled into the operating room where he removed the melanoma tumor and two sentinel lymph nodes. I was released a few hours later and instructed to be bedridden for a few weeks while keeping my leg elevated. While I was fully capable of walking, there was a slight risk of lymphedema and the build up of fluid post operation.
There was still a waiting game, the results of the lymph node biopsy. We waited, not long, and both lymph nodes that were removed were positive for Melanoma. Unfortunately, I received the results before I was able to discuss with my doctor. Talk about spiraling. I cried again. I cried hard. This was not the news we were hoping for. I thought it was a death sentence. I did get the call from my surgical oncologist soon after and he was in much lighter spirits describing how the melanoma presented itself in my lymph nodes, determining my staging, Stage IIIA. He was confident he got it all. I believed him. But we still needed to make sure the odds of it coming back are still low.
After a few weeks went by my surgical oncologist ordered a full CT/PET scan along with an MRI of my brain. A few abnormalities did arise, including a small tumor in my head, but apparently all normal with continued monitoring as time went on. After those results, I made my appointment with my Medical Oncologist and discussed adjuvant immunotherapy. This would reduce the risk of melanoma returning. It uses the immune system to eliminate any remaining microscopic cancer cells. Wild.
I started Keytruda quickly, every 21 days for one year. I experienced mild side effects but kept a positive attitude while screaming inside from anxiety.
I continue to see the dermatologist every 3-6 months and receive labs and a PET scan every six months for the foreseeable future.
As I continued through this journey, I’ve influenced friends from all over to get their first skin check, schedule annual exams and unfortunately have heard of others passing from it. I have been, and will continue, telling people until I am blue in the face to go get their skin checked. Ignorant me didn’t know it could kill you. Ignorant me didn’t know Melanoma, or any skin cancer, doesn’t discriminate, even if you have the “good skin”. Ignorant me worshipped the sun and didn’t have sun safety in mind. The good news is that the survival rate is high when you get it removed early. This is preventable.
I started an Instagram account where I advocate for health, wellness, small business love and of course loving the skin you’re in, which means protecting it. I have met so many people who have been impacted by Melanoma and in turn ran across the Melanoma Research Foundation social media account. I noticed they had a 5K that raised money to support critical research for viable melanoma treatments we so desperately need. I formed Team Rabold last year and our team continues to be the top team to raise money while having some good running fun. My gym has become one of my biggest supporters, lots of the members showing up, and showing out I might add. My two girls (6 & 9) continue to smoke me, which I love. My gym has even setup sunscreen stations for our runs outside or for after our workouts when we leave the gym for the day.
I truly believe my journey isn’t over and I want to think I’ve saved some lives along the way as I continue to share my story. I’m a survivor, and I plan to stay that way. As some of my fellow Melahomies say, stay shady!”