I am Kim Marth, wife to my husband Chuck for 36 years. I am a mother of two adult children and a grandmother of an 11-month precocious little boy. I have been a Physical Therapist for 36 years, actively working until a week ago.

Last June, I found out I have mucosal melanoma following a scheduled colonoscopy. Initially, I was symptom-free. Following a battery of scans, ultrasounds, and a tissue biopsy, it was determined that to give me the best possible outcome, surgical removal of the tumor and immediate surrounding lymph nodes was necessary. Following surgery, I underwent 9 months of treatment with Keytruda, an immunotherapy drug. This was being done as a preventive treatment since scans done after surgery were negative for cancer anywhere in my body.

This last April, I started to have constant stomach pain associated with my gallbladder, so an ultrasound was performed, and it presented with several abnormal structures in the liver. This was followed up with a CT scan to better define the tumors. To confirm the type of tumor, a needle biopsy was done, which confirmed the cancer had spread to my liver. Due to the number of tumors and their location, surgical removal is impossible. Last Friday, I was started on an aggressive immunotherapy combination of drugs to shrink the tumors. Currently, the tumors have caused a doubling of the size of my liver and swelling of my legs.

The survival rate for the type of melanoma I have for 5 years is 3%. Between the swelling and pain of the liver making breathing difficult and the swelling in my legs making it hard to walk and stand, I have had to stop working even at a reduced schedule. Even though we have been downsizing and preparing for retirement with my husband, the loss of my income into the family budget is making more of a dream than a reality.