May 20, 2025 • 27 mins
What happens when you're 26 years old and suddenly hear the words "you have melanoma"? Leah Adams never expected to face a cancer diagnosis in her twenties, especially not after years of tanning beds and sun exposure that had become an addiction.
Leah shares her raw, unfiltered journey from diagnosis to recovery. After her mother spotted a suspicious mole on her chest, just weeks after finding melanoma on Leah's father's back, she reluctantly scheduled her first-ever skin check. The shocking diagnosis that followed turned her world "from color to black and white," as she describes it. What many dismiss as "just skin cancer" quickly became an eight-hour surgery, weeks of physical restrictions, and an emotional rollercoaster of fear, anger, and shame.
Leah's story goes beyond medical details, diving deep into the psychological impact of a melanoma diagnosis on a young person. She speaks candidly about feeling responsible for her cancer, the isolation during recovery, and how finding a community of fellow survivors online helped her feel less alone. With remarkable honesty, she explains how she's learned to continue her passion for outdoor running without living in fear of the sun, and how therapy helped her process both her diagnosis and the underlying issues that fueled her tanning behavior.
Whether you've faced melanoma yourself, know someone who has, or simply want to understand the human side of skin cancer, Leah's journey from patient to advocate offers valuable perspective on turning pain into purpose. Her message reminds us that while time doesn't erase all fears, it does provide space to heal and transform difficult experiences into opportunities for growth and connection.
Follow Leah on Instagram @theleahalexis to learn more about her continuing journey and advocacy work.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And so when my mom pointed that mole out on my
chest, I knew it was a mole thatI had for quite some time.
Do you wear sunscreen?
No.
Have you used tanning beds?
Yes.
Have you had many sunburns?
Yes.
And then they looked at me headto toe and the only mole that
they were concerned about wasthat one on my chest, the one
that my mom pointed out.
She said you know,unfortunately your came back and
(00:25):
the mole we removed was stage1A, bordering stage 1B melanoma.
I went online on social mediaand I started searching like
hashtag melanoma hashtag.
You know, skin cancer.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Welcome to Dermot Trotter Don't swear about
skincare when host Dr Shannon CTrotter, a board-certified
dermatologist, sits down withfellow dermatologists and
skincare experts to separatefact from fiction and simplify
skincare.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Let's get started, welcome to the Dermot Trotter
Don't Swear About Skin Carepodcast.
Today we're going to take alittle different step on how
we've really talked abouteverything skin.
So far, as you know, we'veincluded experts on everything
skin to bring you newinformation about what's going
on.
But now we want to talk andshift gears about, maybe, what's
(01:14):
happening with patients,because I think that's something
that gets neglected or notreally thought about.
So I've got a special guesthere with us today to really
talk about the patientperspective and her struggle, in
particular, with melanoma.
I have Leah Adams on the showwith us today to really talk
about the patient perspectiveand her struggle, in particular,
with melanoma.
I have Leah Adams on the showwith us here today.
She is a melanoma survivor, anavid runner and the daughter of
a melanoma warrior.
(01:35):
She's come with us today toreally share her perspective and
remind us of the human side, ofwhat it means to actually have
a skin condition, in particular,skin cancer or melanoma, which
is timely for this month andthen also for those of you out
there to let you know you're notalone.
There are others that haveexperienced maybe what you're
going through another familymember.
So, leah, I'd like to welcomeyou to the podcast.
(01:56):
Thanks so much for coming ontoday.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Thank you so much, Dr Trotter, for having me.
I'm so excited to have thisconversation with you today.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Well, it's really nice you to come out and share
your story.
I know it's not your first time, you know, doing this.
You've really made this yourwork's life and passion, which I
want to thank you for, becausenot everyone feels comfortable,
you know, opening up theirpersonal life to the public, and
so I thank you for coming onand talking with our listeners
today.
And what I wanted to start,obviously, at the beginning Do
you mind kind of telling usabout how you were diagnosed
(02:25):
with melanoma and kind of just alittle bit about your story?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Absolutely.
So.
This really takes us back to2019, probably in the late
summer, early fall, my mompointed out a suspicious mole
that was on my chest and shenoticed it because she was
accustomed to what funky moleslooked like, because my mom
actually found my dad's melanomaon his upper back a month
(02:51):
before she found my mole on mychest Go mom, go mom.
Exactly right, thank God formoms.
And so she realized, you know,after experiencing that with my
dad, she knew what to look foras far as irregular, abnormal
looking moles, and while my molewas different than my dad's, my
(03:14):
mole on my chest did not lookright.
It was multicolored, had unevenborders and edges, and my mom
also knew at the time I wasactively using tanning beds and
laying out in the sun and thatreally kind of was my life for
quite some time prior to 2019.
(03:34):
I live in Ohio, where we don'talways see the sun all the time
all year round, and, let's behonest, we really take advantage
of the sun while it's out inthis state, and I know you can
understand that, dr Trotter,being in the wonderful state of
Ohio.
Yeah, so you know, I think myfirst session in a tanning bed,
(03:56):
I was gosh.
I think I was 17 years old.
My mom had to sign off for meand then when I went to college,
it was kind of like a free forall.
I did whatever I wanted to do.
I was 18.
And I use tanning beds incollege, use them in grad school
, use them after grad school,and something that I wasn't
(04:17):
really super aware of was thecumulative damage I was doing to
my skin time after time.
And another thing I didn'treally realize were my risk
factors for skin cancer andmelanoma.
My dad's dad had a handful ofsquamous cell carcinoma, basal
cell carcinoma.
(04:38):
My dad, you know, had amelanoma.
So another thing too, was inorder for me to get tan, I
really had to burn first, um,and then I would kind of achieve
that tan, and that was likeevery single summer for as long
as I can remember.
And the tanning that I was doingprior to my melanoma diagnosis,
(05:00):
it truly became an addiction.
Um, I was doing it at one pointin time almost every day, and I
did it because I liked how itfelt, I liked the warmth on my
skin, I liked how I looked, Ithought I looked more attractive
or beautiful while I was tan.
And what was nice about tanningbeds is you had the option of,
(05:22):
you know, not tanning withanything on and you didn't have
tan lines and you didn't have toworry about the spray tan, you
know, being sticky or smelly oranything like that.
So just to kind of give you abackground of kind of where my
head was at and why I behavedthe way I did when it came to
sun safety, which was not safeat all prior to melanoma.
(05:43):
And so when my mom pointed thatmole out on my chest, I knew it
was a mole that I had for quitesome time I don't remember how
long, but it was a while and shesaid you know, you just saw
what happened with your dad.
You should probably go get thatchecked out at a dermatologist.
And you know, back then I was 26.
(06:03):
And you know, I was still inthe process of moving out of my
parents house after grad schooland kind of still having that
like 20 year old mentality oflike yeah, yeah, it's fine, it's
, it's no big deal, but it nevergot out of my head.
So I went down the Googlerabbit hole which nobody ever
should and I was Googling photosof skin cancer and melanoma and
(06:27):
, you know, trying to convincemyself that, you know, what I
had was fine and, if anything,it was just precancerous.
And so I just came to a pointwhere I was like you know what,
I'll just make an appointment.
So I did and I went in for myfirst skin check ever at the end
of September of 2019.
And it was a very interestingexperience.
(06:49):
You know, I don't think you'realways prepared for what a full
body skin check is, and even youknow, before they even did the
exam, they were asking mequestions that I was answering
them in a way that they were, Ithink, not a fan of you know.
Do you wear sunscreen?
No.
(07:12):
Have you used tanning beds?
Yes.
Have you had many sunburns?
Yes.
And then they looked at me headto toe and the only mold that
they were concerned about wasthat one on my chest, the one
that my mom pointed out, andthey biopsied it.
They wanted to send it off andthey said I'd get the results in
.
I think they said three to fivebusiness days.
So after that appointment Iwasn't too concerned because
again, I just was convincingmyself oh, it'll be nothing, I'm
(07:33):
too young to have skin cancer,melanoma, this is not going to
happen.
Talked to some girlfriendsabout it afterwards and they
said oh yeah, I've hadpre-cancerous stuff.
You just kind of freeze it offand move on.
And then we were past the fivedays and we were going on seven
business days.
And then I started gettingworried and I called my
dermatologist office and theysaid um, you know, we had to do
(07:57):
some additional testing on yourmole because it was so atypical
looking that we had to do someadditional staining.
And I was like that doesn'tsound good.
But okay, we'll keep waiting.
And it was on the 14th businessday.
I finally got the call and Iknew the second.
I heard my dermatologist voice.
It wasn't going to be good newsand she said you know,
(08:21):
unfortunately your results cameback and the mole we removed was
stage one a, bordering stageone B melanoma, and the very
first thought was oh my gosh,this is worse than what my dad's
melanoma was a month before,because he had stage zero in
situ.
And because of my borderingstages, my dermatologist had
(08:47):
like immediate upcoming, likenext steps that she wanted me to
do.
So the first priority wasgetting me in for surgery to get
the melanoma removed off mychest.
Then she wanted to do asentinel lymph node biopsy to
see if the melanoma spread to mylocal organs or lymph nodes,
knowing my risk factors for skincancer.
And this was all just a lot totake in in less than a 10-minute
(09:12):
phone call and they got me infor surgery about two weeks
later.
And again, that was anotherthing I wasn't prepared for.
Um, you know, they called it anoutpatient procedure but I was
put under.
I was put under anesthesia.
I was basically in thathospital for like eight hours,
(09:35):
um, from prep all the way till,you know, I was cleared to go.
And you know it's so funny,there's that stigma around you
can just get, you know, skincancer cut out and moved on.
And one of the questions I wokeup, or that I asked when I woke
up from surgery, was when can Irun again?
Because, as you mentioned in mybio, I'm a runner and you know
(09:58):
my mentality was like, okay,like let's get back to regular
scheduled programming.
You got what you needed, now Ineed to get back to kind of my
life.
And they were telling me Iwasn't going to be able to run
for a while because I was atrisk of lymphedema, with the
lymph nodes being removed,popping a stitch, infections,
and they showed me what my chestand what my underarm looked
(10:18):
like with the central lymph nodebiopsy.
And, man, they take a lot morethan you think they take.
And you know, I think that'skind of when the reality set in
and healing afterwards andknowing that I was still waiting
on results after surgerybecause I didn't get the results
(10:40):
from the sentinel lymph nodebiopsy right away and so I kind
of was in a mode of, you know,depression after that.
Honestly, it just was a lot tograpple with.
You know I felt anger and fearand, you know, confusion and
sadness and embarrassmentbecause I felt, dr Trotter, I
gave myself cancer because ofeverything that I was doing up
(11:04):
until that moment.
And you know, luckily I was.
I think it was like two and ahalf three weeks after surgery I
got the results from my centrallymph node biopsy that it did
not spread to my organs, themelanoma or my lymph nodes, and
you know I was really consideredone of the lucky ones because I
(11:26):
know that that's noteverybody's story when it comes
to melanoma, because, as I foundout going through this
experience, melanoma is thefastest spreading, deadliest
type of skin cancer and you knowI felt extremely grateful for
that and it's still looking backalmost six years later.
It didn't hit me in that moment,but I started to really
(11:48):
understand it like as the dayswere going on, and so once I
kind of got that clear, I feltlike called to kind of share my
story.
One, because I didn't tellanybody this was going on.
The only people that knew wasmy boyfriend at the time, now
fiance, my parents and maybe acouple of friends and my
(12:14):
colleagues, because I had to beout for some appointments.
But I truly was scared to tellpeople.
Because I had to be out forsome appointments, but I truly
was scared to tell peoplebecause I had this kind of
imposter syndrome like, oh, if Itell people that I had melanoma
, they're gonna say, well, youshould have known.
You know using tanning beds,like you did that to yourself,
like really getting in my headabout it.
(12:34):
And I went online on socialmedia and I started searching
like hashtag melanoma hashtag,you know skin cancer and you
know, before I did that, I feltlike I was the only 26 year old
in the world that wouldunderstand what melanoma was and
what skin cancer was.
And then, you know, searchingthat online boy, like was I
(12:57):
wrong?
Then, you know, searching thatonline boy, like was I wrong?
There were hundreds andthousands of women my age or
even younger or a little bitolder, sharing their story and I
was just really like inspiredby that because it made me feel
less alone.
And that's what I was lookingfor Because, you know, the last
you know, couple weeks ofhealing from melanoma.
I felt very isolated.
You know, running, which was atherapy and still is for me, you
(13:20):
know, was taken away from me.
I had a lot of restrictions ofwhat I couldn't do and I
couldn't even lift, I think,more than like 10 pounds because
of you know, my incisions.
And so when I saw that onsocial media, I kind of drafted
up a caption, I had a picture ofmy you know incision and then I
(13:41):
posted about it on social mediaand at the time my account was
private, so only my family andfriends or current followers saw
it.
And I was nervous.
I like remember posting it andI like threw my phone like on my
bed.
I was like like I don't, Idon't know what's going to
happen, singing, and I likethrew my phone like on my bed.
I was like like I don't, Idon't know what's going to
happen.
And I was very pleasantlysurprised that, you know I
(14:03):
received a lot of love andsupport and people thanking me,
you know for for sharing mystory, and I even found out some
people in my circle hadmelanoma that I had no idea and
I think that was really thestart of, you know, from now on
now, or from then until now kindof where my journey has taken
me and really how I feltinspired and empowered to share.
(14:29):
Something that was really hardfor me to go through was an
opportunity for me to teachothers and share with others my
story.
So nobody, hopefully, wouldhave to go through what I went
through when it comes tomelanoma.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
So take me back like when you get diagnosed.
You're 26 years old and youhear, you know literally, that
you have cancer.
You know, I can't imagine youknow anyone ever dealing with a
diagnosis.
But when you're 26, like yousaid, graduate, you have the
world ahead of you.
What goes through your head?
I mean, did you really thinklike oh my gosh, I could die,
(15:08):
like this is serious, and likewhat goes through your head at
the moment?
I know you talked about being alittle overwhelmed with that,
but what really goes throughyour head?
And and how would you tellsomebody that might be getting a
similar diagnosis, like how toprocess that and I know that can
be different for everyone, buthow would you try to give them a
little bit of insider advice onthat as well?
Speaker 1 (15:29):
I never thought that at 26, I would hear those words,
that I had stage one cancer ofany type, that I had stage one
cancer of any type.
Like I mentioned, there were alot of mixed emotions and
feelings and one of the mostvivid things that I remember and
I've said this before whenpeople ask me about my story is
(15:50):
kind of felt like my world wentfrom color to black and white.
Or one of those scenes in amovie where something happens to
the main character and they'removing in slow motion, or the
people around them are moving inslow motion and you're the only
one moving like at normal speed, or you know vice versa.
It's like a surreal feeling andyou know it's for somebody that
(16:15):
um, may be newly diagnosed orin those shoes that's listening,
you know.
Just know that, no matter whathappens like you just got to
take a day, one day at a timeand always advocate for yourself
too.
And it's okay to feel all theemotions all at once and leave
(16:39):
some space to feel thoseemotions because, especially
when it comes to melanoma,especially for women I know a
lot of women because I've hadconversations with them that
were diagnosed around my age oftheir 20s there is that a shame,
or feeling shame andembarrassed, because they do
(16:59):
feel like they kind ofcontributed to their cancer and
over time I had to kind of workon that and reframe that way of
thinking, because that type ofthinking is not going to help
you heal through your journey.
But what can help you is knowingin the past I made these
mistakes and made these choicesthat really weren't setting me
(17:23):
up for success and protecting mylargest organ, and
unfortunately I had to learn thehard way.
But now, knowing what I know nowand knowing what I've been
through, I'm able to be herealive and have a second chance
and take care of my largestorgan.
And if people feel comfortableto do so, they have an
(17:43):
opportunity to share their storytoo.
That's the thing I tell peopleyou know.
A lot of people say kind of,what you shared with me is like
you know, yes, I do really put alot of what's happened to me
online and on social media, butI do it because I'm trying to
hopefully contribute to changingthe statistics around melanoma
and skin cancer for the better,because more and more people are
(18:06):
getting diagnosed, more andmore people are really not
understanding the seriousness ofit, and so if I can do my part
and share my story and sharekind of where I was and where I
am now, that hopefully willinspire somebody.
And so it takes time to processall of this and to really take
(18:26):
your pain and turn it intopurpose, but it is possible.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
That's beautiful.
Because I do think people doget overwhelmed.
You know, to imagine, you know,just getting a diagnosis of
cancer, like you said, sort ofhow people simplified skin
cancer and made it all it justall is cut out and all is well.
And obviously you know all toowell that's not the truth and we
know that too.
You know, in dermatology, whichis what we're trying to bring
to the table for patients tounderstand the seriousness of it
(18:52):
.
But at the same point, like yousaid, not really beat yourself
up, like I tell my patients Iwent tanning and they're like
what?
You went tanning and I said, ohyeah, that was the thing in
college, it was the social event.
Unfortunately I didn't tan verywell, so over time I kind of
didn't do it.
But you went because that wassort of the group outing and we
went to lunch after and it was afun thing, but the risk really
(19:14):
wasn't on our radar.
You know the things we all make, those choices, or we shouldn't
have eaten that Sunday lastnight.
But at this point you know, Itell you you have to kind of
accept what is right and then tomove forward.
I think what you said is reallypoignant, you know, really
(19:35):
important for people tounderstand that you have to turn
that you know pain into purposeor process.
That and you're right, dwellingon it is not going to help you
move forward.
In fact it'll probably helpkeep you in the past, which you
don't want to be.
But I think after you get thatdiagnosis, you've gone through
the treatment.
I think what I wanted to havekind of your thoughts on how do
you deal with some of theemotion, or maybe even the
(19:57):
anxiety that comes with thediagnosis and then trying to
live your life, like trying tohave, you know, a life that you
feel like is normal, like youlike to run, you're going to be
outside, right, like how did youcope with just adjusting your
life to go back to your sense ofnorm and dealing with the sun
and not fearing it, because I dohave some patients and some of
you out there might feel thisway too They've given up
vacations with their becausethey feel like they can't be out
(20:19):
in the sun, or they've given upa hobby, like you have, because
they feel like they have tolive indoors.
So how do you, you know, thinkabout that in terms of how
you've dealt with this andreally learn to live your life
in a different way since yourdiagnosis.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Yeah, I think one of my biggest ways of moving
forward after melanoma was nothaving melanoma dictate my
future and I really didn't wantto sacrifice something like
running.
That was such a big part of mylife and I really just had to
(20:59):
learn, like we do for anythingthat happens in our life.
You know, change isn't alwayseasy and you know, if I wanted
to continue to run outside,which is my preferred method of
running I don't love running ontreadmills, I know everybody has
their preference, but I alwayslove to run outside I knew I was
(21:21):
going to have to make somedifferent choices when it came
to making sure I was wearingsunscreen, wearing enough
sunscreen, wearing protectiveclothing, watching the peak UV
ray hours, you know, and maybefinding different routes for
running.
That wasn't, you know, totallyalways in the sun.
And yes, was it challenging inthe beginning?
(21:46):
Yeah, because it was.
You know, back then, a coupleyears into or after my diagnosis
, it was more like, oh, I haveto do this or oh, this is
frustrating, but at the end ofthe day, I tried to.
Again, it goes back toreframing your mind around it
and I'm not taking credit forthis, but I've heard this on a
podcast once.
It's not.
(22:06):
You know I have to do this, Iget to do this and you know
there are so many people thathave had melanoma that are no
longer here, that were my age,that had a very similar
situation.
It was just a matter of whenthey caught that melanoma and
the fact that I'm still here andI'm able to run.
(22:26):
It's not that I have to runthis way, it's I get to run this
way and that's a blessing andthat's a gift.
And did I think that themorning after my melanoma
surgery?
Absolutely not.
I mean that took me years.
There are still moments when Iget frustrated because at the
end of the day, dr Trotter,we're human, right, I mean we
(22:48):
things easily can frustrate us,but I think at the end of the
day, when we take a step backand we look at what has happened
to us, how we're able toreframe any situation into, you
know, something positive from it, we're able to move forward.
And so to your question aroundanxiety.
Anxiety is something I've dealtwith even before melanoma.
(23:08):
I am a big advocate for mentalhealth and making sure that you
know we feel supported mentalhealth and emotional health.
I've been in therapy and youknow I highly recommend it for
everybody.
But that is something thatactually really helped me after
my melanoma and moving forwardand kind of talking through you
(23:29):
know, even as far as like whyeven went to tanning beds and
what that was connected to beinga woman falling into societal
beauty standards, not having agreat self image I mean, that's
a whole nother podcast episode.
But it was important for me tokind of start at the root of
that and then work my wayforward.
And you know that helped a lotwith anxiety, especially, you
(23:52):
know, post diagnosis and goinginto skin checks after melanoma,
which also would bring back thefear again of is this going to
happen again?
Am I going to have happen again?
Am I going to have another mole,am I going to have another
surgery?
And the first couple of yearswas not easy.
I mean because, as you know, drTrotter, as a dermatologist,
once you have melanoma you'rewatched a little bit more
(24:12):
differently than anotherindividual that's never had it.
So any atypical mole you knowmy derm was on it and biopsied
it and you know all that stuffbut every biopsy it was like
reliving that fear again andreliving that fear again.
But I think I got to a point,dr Trotter, where I'd say I was
(24:33):
at the probably two, two and ahalf year mark where I had
biopsies and they came back okay.
That was kind of like theincentive of like, okay, so I
can have something removed andthings could be okay after that.
And again, learning that youknow, just because you have a
biopsy doesn't mean it's goingto be melanoma every time.
(24:54):
That again has allowed me toheal and move forward and kind
of you know it's it's cliche,but time truly does heal,
especially when it comes withthe cancer diagnosis.
No, the fear never completely100% goes away.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
But again, like anything in life, as time goes
on and you're able to managethose feelings and thoughts and
reframe them, there is a way,there's a path to move forward
them there is a way, there's apath to move forward and it's a
great message, I think, forpatients to take, because when
you get any type of you knowdiagnosis, that's just, you know
(25:34):
, devastating, for lack of abetter word.
It's how do you go forward?
And I know people hate that oldsaying of you know, time heals
wounds or heals all wounds, andI think I hate to say it, but
there's some truth to that.
I think most people would arguethat that have been through a
tough time and not that it's theperfect solution, because it's
part of the process and thejourney and how you work through
those feelings and emotions,that time comes with that and
that's how you kind of move tothe next level.
But you know, we definitely haveto applaud you for turning
(25:56):
something that could be sonegative in your life into
something so positive and astory that you've been able to
share with so many people.
And I know listeners out therehave definitely felt what you
felt or they know somebody thathas.
So I appreciate you sharingthat story.
We're definitely going to haveLeah on for a few more episodes
here because we're going to getperspectives on the experience
she's had with her dadprevention.
(26:17):
So be sure to stay tuned forthose.
But Leah for our listeners outthere if they want to try to
find you online social media.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Do you mind sharing where they can locate you?
Absolutely the best place tofind me is on Instagram.
I'm at the Leah Alexis alllowercase, and you can find out
more about my journey there.
Follow along with all of mycontent about my story, my
running journey and also mydad's melanoma story.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
Great.
Thank you so much for coming onthe podcast today.
I really hope you guys enjoyedsort of this perspective we're
trying to bring about, you know,for the healthcare providers
out there to help you rememberwhat it's like to take care of
patients.
That side we sometimes forgetbecause we do this every day.
And for those of you out therethat have had melanoma been
(27:05):
personally touched by it, I hopeyou've been inspired by Leah,
like so many others have been.
So thanks again, Leah, forcoming on the podcast.
I really appreciate it.
Thanks so much for having me.
Dr Trotter Sounds great andstay tuned for the next episode
of Dermot Trotter, Don't SwearAbout Skin Care.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Thanks for listening to Dermot Trotter.
For more about skincare, visitDermotTrottercom.
Don't forget to subscribe,leave a review and share this
podcast with anyone who needs alittle skincare sanity.
Until next time, stay skinsmart.
And so when my mom pointed that mole out on my
chest, I knew it was a mole thatI had for quite some time.
Do you wear sunscreen?
No.
Have you used tanning beds?
Yes.
Have you had many sunburns?
Yes.
And then they looked at me headto toe and the only mole that
they were concerned about wasthat one on my chest, the one
that my mom pointed out.
She said you know,unfortunately your came back and
(00:25):
the mole we removed was stage1A, bordering stage 1B melanoma.
I went online on social mediaand I started searching like
hashtag melanoma hashtag.
You know, skin cancer.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Welcome to Dermot Trotter Don't swear about
skincare when host Dr Shannon CTrotter, a board-certified
dermatologist, sits down withfellow dermatologists and
skincare experts to separatefact from fiction and simplify
skincare.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Let's get started, welcome to the Dermot Trotter
Don't Swear About Skin Carepodcast.
Today we're going to take alittle different step on how
we've really talked abouteverything skin.
So far, as you know, we'veincluded experts on everything
skin to bring you newinformation about what's going
on.
But now we want to talk andshift gears about, maybe, what's
(01:14):
happening with patients,because I think that's something
that gets neglected or notreally thought about.
So I've got a special guesthere with us today to really
talk about the patientperspective and her struggle, in
particular, with melanoma.
I have Leah Adams on the showwith us today to really talk
about the patient perspectiveand her struggle, in particular,
with melanoma.
I have Leah Adams on the showwith us here today.
She is a melanoma survivor, anavid runner and the daughter of
a melanoma warrior.
(01:35):
She's come with us today toreally share her perspective and
remind us of the human side, ofwhat it means to actually have
a skin condition, in particular,skin cancer or melanoma, which
is timely for this month andthen also for those of you out
there to let you know you're notalone.
There are others that haveexperienced maybe what you're
going through another familymember.
So, leah, I'd like to welcomeyou to the podcast.
(01:56):
Thanks so much for coming ontoday.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Thank you so much, Dr Trotter, for having me.
I'm so excited to have thisconversation with you today.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Well, it's really nice you to come out and share
your story.
I know it's not your first time, you know, doing this.
You've really made this yourwork's life and passion, which I
want to thank you for, becausenot everyone feels comfortable,
you know, opening up theirpersonal life to the public, and
so I thank you for coming onand talking with our listeners
today.
And what I wanted to start,obviously, at the beginning Do
you mind kind of telling usabout how you were diagnosed
(02:25):
with melanoma and kind of just alittle bit about your story?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Absolutely.
So.
This really takes us back to2019, probably in the late
summer, early fall, my mompointed out a suspicious mole
that was on my chest and shenoticed it because she was
accustomed to what funky moleslooked like, because my mom
actually found my dad's melanomaon his upper back a month
(02:51):
before she found my mole on mychest Go mom, go mom.
Exactly right, thank God formoms.
And so she realized, you know,after experiencing that with my
dad, she knew what to look foras far as irregular, abnormal
looking moles, and while my molewas different than my dad's, my
(03:14):
mole on my chest did not lookright.
It was multicolored, had unevenborders and edges, and my mom
also knew at the time I wasactively using tanning beds and
laying out in the sun and thatreally kind of was my life for
quite some time prior to 2019.
(03:34):
I live in Ohio, where we don'talways see the sun all the time
all year round, and, let's behonest, we really take advantage
of the sun while it's out inthis state, and I know you can
understand that, dr Trotter,being in the wonderful state of
Ohio.
Yeah, so you know, I think myfirst session in a tanning bed,
(03:56):
I was gosh.
I think I was 17 years old.
My mom had to sign off for meand then when I went to college,
it was kind of like a free forall.
I did whatever I wanted to do.
I was 18.
And I use tanning beds incollege, use them in grad school
, use them after grad school,and something that I wasn't
(04:17):
really super aware of was thecumulative damage I was doing to
my skin time after time.
And another thing I didn'treally realize were my risk
factors for skin cancer andmelanoma.
My dad's dad had a handful ofsquamous cell carcinoma, basal
cell carcinoma.
(04:38):
My dad, you know, had amelanoma.
So another thing too, was inorder for me to get tan, I
really had to burn first, um,and then I would kind of achieve
that tan, and that was likeevery single summer for as long
as I can remember.
And the tanning that I was doingprior to my melanoma diagnosis,
(05:00):
it truly became an addiction.
Um, I was doing it at one pointin time almost every day, and I
did it because I liked how itfelt, I liked the warmth on my
skin, I liked how I looked, Ithought I looked more attractive
or beautiful while I was tan.
And what was nice about tanningbeds is you had the option of,
(05:22):
you know, not tanning withanything on and you didn't have
tan lines and you didn't have toworry about the spray tan, you
know, being sticky or smelly oranything like that.
So just to kind of give you abackground of kind of where my
head was at and why I behavedthe way I did when it came to
sun safety, which was not safeat all prior to melanoma.
(05:43):
And so when my mom pointed thatmole out on my chest, I knew it
was a mole that I had for quitesome time I don't remember how
long, but it was a while and shesaid you know, you just saw
what happened with your dad.
You should probably go get thatchecked out at a dermatologist.
And you know, back then I was 26.
(06:03):
And you know, I was still inthe process of moving out of my
parents house after grad schooland kind of still having that
like 20 year old mentality oflike yeah, yeah, it's fine, it's
, it's no big deal, but it nevergot out of my head.
So I went down the Googlerabbit hole which nobody ever
should and I was Googling photosof skin cancer and melanoma and
(06:27):
, you know, trying to convincemyself that, you know, what I
had was fine and, if anything,it was just precancerous.
And so I just came to a pointwhere I was like you know what,
I'll just make an appointment.
So I did and I went in for myfirst skin check ever at the end
of September of 2019.
And it was a very interestingexperience.
(06:49):
You know, I don't think you'realways prepared for what a full
body skin check is, and even youknow, before they even did the
exam, they were asking mequestions that I was answering
them in a way that they were, Ithink, not a fan of you know.
Do you wear sunscreen?
No.
(07:12):
Have you used tanning beds?
Yes.
Have you had many sunburns?
Yes.
And then they looked at me headto toe and the only mold that
they were concerned about wasthat one on my chest, the one
that my mom pointed out, andthey biopsied it.
They wanted to send it off andthey said I'd get the results in
.
I think they said three to fivebusiness days.
So after that appointment Iwasn't too concerned because
again, I just was convincingmyself oh, it'll be nothing, I'm
(07:33):
too young to have skin cancer,melanoma, this is not going to
happen.
Talked to some girlfriendsabout it afterwards and they
said oh yeah, I've hadpre-cancerous stuff.
You just kind of freeze it offand move on.
And then we were past the fivedays and we were going on seven
business days.
And then I started gettingworried and I called my
dermatologist office and theysaid um, you know, we had to do
(07:57):
some additional testing on yourmole because it was so atypical
looking that we had to do someadditional staining.
And I was like that doesn'tsound good.
But okay, we'll keep waiting.
And it was on the 14th businessday.
I finally got the call and Iknew the second.
I heard my dermatologist voice.
It wasn't going to be good newsand she said you know,
(08:21):
unfortunately your results cameback and the mole we removed was
stage one a, bordering stageone B melanoma, and the very
first thought was oh my gosh,this is worse than what my dad's
melanoma was a month before,because he had stage zero in
situ.
And because of my borderingstages, my dermatologist had
(08:47):
like immediate upcoming, likenext steps that she wanted me to
do.
So the first priority wasgetting me in for surgery to get
the melanoma removed off mychest.
Then she wanted to do asentinel lymph node biopsy to
see if the melanoma spread to mylocal organs or lymph nodes,
knowing my risk factors for skincancer.
And this was all just a lot totake in in less than a 10-minute
(09:12):
phone call and they got me infor surgery about two weeks
later.
And again, that was anotherthing I wasn't prepared for.
Um, you know, they called it anoutpatient procedure but I was
put under.
I was put under anesthesia.
I was basically in thathospital for like eight hours,
(09:35):
um, from prep all the way till,you know, I was cleared to go.
And you know it's so funny,there's that stigma around you
can just get, you know, skincancer cut out and moved on.
And one of the questions I wokeup, or that I asked when I woke
up from surgery, was when can Irun again?
Because, as you mentioned in mybio, I'm a runner and you know
(09:58):
my mentality was like, okay,like let's get back to regular
scheduled programming.
You got what you needed, now Ineed to get back to kind of my
life.
And they were telling me Iwasn't going to be able to run
for a while because I was atrisk of lymphedema, with the
lymph nodes being removed,popping a stitch, infections,
and they showed me what my chestand what my underarm looked
(10:18):
like with the central lymph nodebiopsy.
And, man, they take a lot morethan you think they take.
And you know, I think that'skind of when the reality set in
and healing afterwards andknowing that I was still waiting
on results after surgerybecause I didn't get the results
(10:40):
from the sentinel lymph nodebiopsy right away and so I kind
of was in a mode of, you know,depression after that.
Honestly, it just was a lot tograpple with.
You know I felt anger and fearand, you know, confusion and
sadness and embarrassmentbecause I felt, dr Trotter, I
gave myself cancer because ofeverything that I was doing up
(11:04):
until that moment.
And you know, luckily I was.
I think it was like two and ahalf three weeks after surgery I
got the results from my centrallymph node biopsy that it did
not spread to my organs, themelanoma or my lymph nodes, and
you know I was really consideredone of the lucky ones because I
(11:26):
know that that's noteverybody's story when it comes
to melanoma, because, as I foundout going through this
experience, melanoma is thefastest spreading, deadliest
type of skin cancer and you knowI felt extremely grateful for
that and it's still looking backalmost six years later.
It didn't hit me in that moment,but I started to really
(11:48):
understand it like as the dayswere going on, and so once I
kind of got that clear, I feltlike called to kind of share my
story.
One, because I didn't tellanybody this was going on.
The only people that knew wasmy boyfriend at the time, now
fiance, my parents and maybe acouple of friends and my
(12:14):
colleagues, because I had to beout for some appointments.
But I truly was scared to tellpeople.
Because I had to be out forsome appointments, but I truly
was scared to tell peoplebecause I had this kind of
imposter syndrome like, oh, if Itell people that I had melanoma
, they're gonna say, well, youshould have known.
You know using tanning beds,like you did that to yourself,
like really getting in my headabout it.
(12:34):
And I went online on socialmedia and I started searching
like hashtag melanoma hashtag,you know skin cancer and you
know, before I did that, I feltlike I was the only 26 year old
in the world that wouldunderstand what melanoma was and
what skin cancer was.
And then, you know, searchingthat online boy, like was I
(12:57):
wrong?
Then, you know, searching thatonline boy, like was I wrong?
There were hundreds andthousands of women my age or
even younger or a little bitolder, sharing their story and I
was just really like inspiredby that because it made me feel
less alone.
And that's what I was lookingfor Because, you know, the last
you know, couple weeks ofhealing from melanoma.
I felt very isolated.
You know, running, which was atherapy and still is for me, you
(13:20):
know, was taken away from me.
I had a lot of restrictions ofwhat I couldn't do and I
couldn't even lift, I think,more than like 10 pounds because
of you know, my incisions.
And so when I saw that onsocial media, I kind of drafted
up a caption, I had a picture ofmy you know incision and then I
(13:41):
posted about it on social mediaand at the time my account was
private, so only my family andfriends or current followers saw
it.
And I was nervous.
I like remember posting it andI like threw my phone like on my
bed.
I was like like I don't, Idon't know what's going to
happen, singing, and I likethrew my phone like on my bed.
I was like like I don't, Idon't know what's going to
happen.
And I was very pleasantlysurprised that, you know I
(14:03):
received a lot of love andsupport and people thanking me,
you know for for sharing mystory, and I even found out some
people in my circle hadmelanoma that I had no idea and
I think that was really thestart of, you know, from now on
now, or from then until now kindof where my journey has taken
me and really how I feltinspired and empowered to share.
(14:29):
Something that was really hardfor me to go through was an
opportunity for me to teachothers and share with others my
story.
So nobody, hopefully, wouldhave to go through what I went
through when it comes tomelanoma.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
So take me back like when you get diagnosed.
You're 26 years old and youhear, you know literally, that
you have cancer.
You know, I can't imagine youknow anyone ever dealing with a
diagnosis.
But when you're 26, like yousaid, graduate, you have the
world ahead of you.
What goes through your head?
I mean, did you really thinklike oh my gosh, I could die,
(15:08):
like this is serious, and likewhat goes through your head at
the moment?
I know you talked about being alittle overwhelmed with that,
but what really goes throughyour head?
And and how would you tellsomebody that might be getting a
similar diagnosis, like how toprocess that and I know that can
be different for everyone, buthow would you try to give them a
little bit of insider advice onthat as well?
Speaker 1 (15:29):
I never thought that at 26, I would hear those words,
that I had stage one cancer ofany type, that I had stage one
cancer of any type.
Like I mentioned, there were alot of mixed emotions and
feelings and one of the mostvivid things that I remember and
I've said this before whenpeople ask me about my story is
(15:50):
kind of felt like my world wentfrom color to black and white.
Or one of those scenes in amovie where something happens to
the main character and they'removing in slow motion, or the
people around them are moving inslow motion and you're the only
one moving like at normal speed, or you know vice versa.
It's like a surreal feeling andyou know it's for somebody that
(16:15):
um, may be newly diagnosed orin those shoes that's listening,
you know.
Just know that, no matter whathappens like you just got to
take a day, one day at a timeand always advocate for yourself
too.
And it's okay to feel all theemotions all at once and leave
(16:39):
some space to feel thoseemotions because, especially
when it comes to melanoma,especially for women I know a
lot of women because I've hadconversations with them that
were diagnosed around my age oftheir 20s there is that a shame,
or feeling shame andembarrassed, because they do
(16:59):
feel like they kind ofcontributed to their cancer and
over time I had to kind of workon that and reframe that way of
thinking, because that type ofthinking is not going to help
you heal through your journey.
But what can help you is knowingin the past I made these
mistakes and made these choicesthat really weren't setting me
(17:23):
up for success and protecting mylargest organ, and
unfortunately I had to learn thehard way.
But now, knowing what I know nowand knowing what I've been
through, I'm able to be herealive and have a second chance
and take care of my largestorgan.
And if people feel comfortableto do so, they have an
(17:43):
opportunity to share their storytoo.
That's the thing I tell peopleyou know.
A lot of people say kind of,what you shared with me is like
you know, yes, I do really put alot of what's happened to me
online and on social media, butI do it because I'm trying to
hopefully contribute to changingthe statistics around melanoma
and skin cancer for the better,because more and more people are
(18:06):
getting diagnosed, more andmore people are really not
understanding the seriousness ofit, and so if I can do my part
and share my story and sharekind of where I was and where I
am now, that hopefully willinspire somebody.
And so it takes time to processall of this and to really take
(18:26):
your pain and turn it intopurpose, but it is possible.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
That's beautiful.
Because I do think people doget overwhelmed.
You know, to imagine, you know,just getting a diagnosis of
cancer, like you said, sort ofhow people simplified skin
cancer and made it all it justall is cut out and all is well.
And obviously you know all toowell that's not the truth and we
know that too.
You know, in dermatology, whichis what we're trying to bring
to the table for patients tounderstand the seriousness of it
(18:52):
.
But at the same point, like yousaid, not really beat yourself
up, like I tell my patients Iwent tanning and they're like
what?
You went tanning and I said, ohyeah, that was the thing in
college, it was the social event.
Unfortunately I didn't tan verywell, so over time I kind of
didn't do it.
But you went because that wassort of the group outing and we
went to lunch after and it was afun thing, but the risk really
(19:14):
wasn't on our radar.
You know the things we all make, those choices, or we shouldn't
have eaten that Sunday lastnight.
But at this point you know, Itell you you have to kind of
accept what is right and then tomove forward.
I think what you said is reallypoignant, you know, really
(19:35):
important for people tounderstand that you have to turn
that you know pain into purposeor process.
That and you're right, dwellingon it is not going to help you
move forward.
In fact it'll probably helpkeep you in the past, which you
don't want to be.
But I think after you get thatdiagnosis, you've gone through
the treatment.
I think what I wanted to havekind of your thoughts on how do
you deal with some of theemotion, or maybe even the
(19:57):
anxiety that comes with thediagnosis and then trying to
live your life, like trying tohave, you know, a life that you
feel like is normal, like youlike to run, you're going to be
outside, right, like how did youcope with just adjusting your
life to go back to your sense ofnorm and dealing with the sun
and not fearing it, because I dohave some patients and some of
you out there might feel thisway too They've given up
vacations with their becausethey feel like they can't be out
(20:19):
in the sun, or they've given upa hobby, like you have, because
they feel like they have tolive indoors.
So how do you, you know, thinkabout that in terms of how
you've dealt with this andreally learn to live your life
in a different way since yourdiagnosis.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Yeah, I think one of my biggest ways of moving
forward after melanoma was nothaving melanoma dictate my
future and I really didn't wantto sacrifice something like
running.
That was such a big part of mylife and I really just had to
(20:59):
learn, like we do for anythingthat happens in our life.
You know, change isn't alwayseasy and you know, if I wanted
to continue to run outside,which is my preferred method of
running I don't love running ontreadmills, I know everybody has
their preference, but I alwayslove to run outside I knew I was
(21:21):
going to have to make somedifferent choices when it came
to making sure I was wearingsunscreen, wearing enough
sunscreen, wearing protectiveclothing, watching the peak UV
ray hours, you know, and maybefinding different routes for
running.
That wasn't, you know, totallyalways in the sun.
And yes, was it challenging inthe beginning?
(21:46):
Yeah, because it was.
You know, back then, a coupleyears into or after my diagnosis
, it was more like, oh, I haveto do this or oh, this is
frustrating, but at the end ofthe day, I tried to.
Again, it goes back toreframing your mind around it
and I'm not taking credit forthis, but I've heard this on a
podcast once.
It's not.
(22:06):
You know I have to do this, Iget to do this and you know
there are so many people thathave had melanoma that are no
longer here, that were my age,that had a very similar
situation.
It was just a matter of whenthey caught that melanoma and
the fact that I'm still here andI'm able to run.
(22:26):
It's not that I have to runthis way, it's I get to run this
way and that's a blessing andthat's a gift.
And did I think that themorning after my melanoma
surgery?
Absolutely not.
I mean that took me years.
There are still moments when Iget frustrated because at the
end of the day, dr Trotter,we're human, right, I mean we
(22:48):
things easily can frustrate us,but I think at the end of the
day, when we take a step backand we look at what has happened
to us, how we're able toreframe any situation into, you
know, something positive from it, we're able to move forward.
And so to your question aroundanxiety.
Anxiety is something I've dealtwith even before melanoma.
(23:08):
I am a big advocate for mentalhealth and making sure that you
know we feel supported mentalhealth and emotional health.
I've been in therapy and youknow I highly recommend it for
everybody.
But that is something thatactually really helped me after
my melanoma and moving forwardand kind of talking through you
(23:29):
know, even as far as like whyeven went to tanning beds and
what that was connected to beinga woman falling into societal
beauty standards, not having agreat self image I mean, that's
a whole nother podcast episode.
But it was important for me tokind of start at the root of
that and then work my wayforward.
And you know that helped a lotwith anxiety, especially, you
(23:52):
know, post diagnosis and goinginto skin checks after melanoma,
which also would bring back thefear again of is this going to
happen again?
Am I going to have happen again?
Am I going to have another mole,am I going to have another
surgery?
And the first couple of yearswas not easy.
I mean because, as you know, drTrotter, as a dermatologist,
once you have melanoma you'rewatched a little bit more
(24:12):
differently than anotherindividual that's never had it.
So any atypical mole you knowmy derm was on it and biopsied
it and you know all that stuffbut every biopsy it was like
reliving that fear again andreliving that fear again.
But I think I got to a point,dr Trotter, where I'd say I was
(24:33):
at the probably two, two and ahalf year mark where I had
biopsies and they came back okay.
That was kind of like theincentive of like, okay, so I
can have something removed andthings could be okay after that.
And again, learning that youknow, just because you have a
biopsy doesn't mean it's goingto be melanoma every time.
(24:54):
That again has allowed me toheal and move forward and kind
of you know it's it's cliche,but time truly does heal,
especially when it comes withthe cancer diagnosis.
No, the fear never completely100% goes away.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
But again, like anything in life, as time goes
on and you're able to managethose feelings and thoughts and
reframe them, there is a way,there's a path to move forward
them there is a way, there's apath to move forward and it's a
great message, I think, forpatients to take, because when
you get any type of you knowdiagnosis, that's just, you know
(25:34):
, devastating, for lack of abetter word.
It's how do you go forward?
And I know people hate that oldsaying of you know, time heals
wounds or heals all wounds, andI think I hate to say it, but
there's some truth to that.
I think most people would arguethat that have been through a
tough time and not that it's theperfect solution, because it's
part of the process and thejourney and how you work through
those feelings and emotions,that time comes with that and
that's how you kind of move tothe next level.
But you know, we definitely haveto applaud you for turning
(25:56):
something that could be sonegative in your life into
something so positive and astory that you've been able to
share with so many people.
And I know listeners out therehave definitely felt what you
felt or they know somebody thathas.
So I appreciate you sharingthat story.
We're definitely going to haveLeah on for a few more episodes
here because we're going to getperspectives on the experience
she's had with her dadprevention.
(26:17):
So be sure to stay tuned forthose.
But Leah for our listeners outthere if they want to try to
find you online social media.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Do you mind sharing where they can locate you?
Absolutely the best place tofind me is on Instagram.
I'm at the Leah Alexis alllowercase, and you can find out
more about my journey there.
Follow along with all of mycontent about my story, my
running journey and also mydad's melanoma story.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
Great.
Thank you so much for coming onthe podcast today.
I really hope you guys enjoyedsort of this perspective we're
trying to bring about, you know,for the healthcare providers
out there to help you rememberwhat it's like to take care of
patients.
That side we sometimes forgetbecause we do this every day.
And for those of you out therethat have had melanoma been
(27:05):
personally touched by it, I hopeyou've been inspired by Leah,
like so many others have been.
So thanks again, Leah, forcoming on the podcast.
I really appreciate it.
Thanks so much for having me.
Dr Trotter Sounds great andstay tuned for the next episode
of Dermot Trotter, Don't SwearAbout Skin Care.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Thanks for listening to Dermot Trotter.
For more about skincare, visitDermotTrottercom.
Don't forget to subscribe,leave a review and share this
podcast with anyone who needs alittle skincare sanity.
Until next time, stay skinsmart.
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Introducing… Aubrey O’Day Diddy’s former protege, television personality, platinum selling music artist, Danity Kane alum Aubrey O’Day joins veteran journalists Amy Robach and TJ Holmes to provide a unique perspective on the trial that has captivated the attention of the nation. Join them throughout the trial as they discuss, debate, and dissect every detail, every aspect of the proceedings. Aubrey will offer her opinions and expertise, as only she is qualified to do given her first-hand knowledge. From her days on Making the Band, as she emerged as the breakout star, the truth of the situation would be the opposite of the glitz and glamour. Listen throughout every minute of the trial, for this exclusive coverage. Amy Robach and TJ Holmes present Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial, an iHeartRadio podcast.
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