Paul Buchanan

Stage:Stage IV

24 years ago I was diagnosed with melanoma that had spread to the lymph nodes in my groin. I went to Sloan in NYC for a consultation with Dr Livingston. They were doing an experimental immunotherapy treatment. He gave me less than 12 months to live. His advice – “get your affairs in order”.

I went to NYU. They gave me 50/50 to make it 5 years. I started their experimental immunotherapy program 2 weeks later. I was in the blind test phase.

It, obviously, worked. The problem was the FDA shut down the program 4 years into the 5 years I was to be in it. It was a harmless treatment. Literally, 5 minutes with the docs. 4 injections just under the skin. And off I would go to work. Easy.

Almost 10 years later, the beast came back. It invaded my spine and bone marrow. It was so bad that when the bone marrow biopsy came back, there was no marrow. It was 100% melanoma.

They had IL2 as a treatment at Yale. They were leaning towards hospice. I got sick super fast.

IL2 was a bitch. But I knew it was working within 2 days. I was able to sit up. I ate for the first time in weeks.

So fast forward to my most recent appointment. It’s to the point where he listens to my lungs, feels the nodes in the neck and under the arms, and we talk. Reminisce, really.

His words – “No one has ever been as sick as you and came back like you did. We weren’t even going to treat you, but there was something there that told us to give it a try. We learned a lesson, it really is never too late. If a treatment is going to work it will work, no matter how far the disease has progressed”.

I mentioned going in after the two series of IL2 treatments. He said I needed to do a third. The “group” voted on it. I asked him – how did you vote. “I voted no”. That was good enough for me, I said. I begged him not to put me through it again. Begged.

We made a deal. Get scans and another bone marrow biopsy and come back. If all is clean, no treatment. I asked what the odds were to be clean. Him – not very good.

Less than a week later and I was back. So…? “You’re clean. There is no evidence of disease”.

I don’t even recall exactly what I said. But OMG.

Every year since about the 6 year mark he has told me that the odds of a recurrence are slim. At my most recent appointment he said – you’re not going to have a recurrence. I’m not scheduling anymore chest X-Rays.

I know there isn’t a universal cure, yet. But I, as many others, am proof that there is a cure, for some. And that it won’t be long before they figure this out.

Funny. I could never figure out what drives these doctors. And today I thought – they are like a pro athlete but with superior intelligence. Their opponent isn’t in front of them playing a game. Their opponent is the disease they are trying to beat. And they are every bit as competitive to beat it as a pro player is to beat their opponent. And someone like me and and all of you is what drives them everyday.

He also told me the treatments they are doing today are light years ahead of what I did.

There is hope. I swear. God bless you all.