Buffalo family learns to fight the effects of melanoma together

ROCHESTER, NY — When Syracuse football legend Dwight Freeney saw his No. 54 hanging in the rafters of the JMA Wireless Dome, it was an unforgettable moment.

This time of year is a good time to remember the effects of the sun on your skin.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, the number of melanoma diagnoses has skyrocketed over the past 30 years.

But the effect of the sun is different for each person.

This has brought the Bailey family closer together. They often spend time joking together because they never know what tomorrow will bring.

“I don’t think any of us thought the melanoma diagnosis would be a big deal,” admitted Debbra Bailey.

Her family became aware of the melanoma in 2013.

“Yes, that was the first time,” said Nathan Bailey.

The melanoma was removed from his back, but a few years later another spot was found, and a few years after that a third.

“I worked in construction for years and I worked in the summer with my shirt off and no sunscreen or anything like that for years. And I feel like I played an active role in where I am now. So if I could do some things differently, that would probably be one of them,” he explained. “When I worked with my shirt on, I got sunburned and it came off. And then you have to deal with it. I mean, we're in construction. It's just what you did, you know? It's all what people did, right, whether you're in construction or not.”

“Melanomas are tumors of the melanocytes. Melanomas form when pigment cells go off track. They accumulate mutations and eventually learn to spread beyond their normal habitat, beyond the surface of the skin. And later beyond the skin and into other organs and other areas of the body,” explains Dr. Gyorgy Paragh, head of dermatology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. “The vast majority of melanomas are caused by previous UV radiation. And the most common subtype of melanoma, superficial spreading melanoma, is caused by excessive sun exposure at certain times, especially at a young age.”

Nathan has since become much more aware of the impact the lungs can have on his fair skin. He says he always wears a sun-protective hat and appropriate clothing when he spends time outdoors. He also says he keeps sunscreen everywhere in the house and in his car.

“Since then, I always wear a shirt. I have a floppy hat that I wear. When I mow the lawn, I have sunscreen and I have it in five different places in our house, in my car, you know? So I'm definitely more careful,” Bailey explained. “I don't know if there's a favorite brand, but the kind that you [[his wife]]get me, it smells good. I smell like coconuts. It's amazing.”

“I always wear sunscreen. Have you put on sunscreen?” his wife added.

“Sun protection is not just about using sunscreen. People need to be vigilant, they need to avoid the hours with the highest UV index, limit sun exposure by limiting the time spent outside during the hours with the highest UV index, covering up with sun-protective clothing, wide-brimmed hats, long-sleeved shirts and some protective shirts,” explained Dr. Paragh.

Debbra is now more familiar with what Dr. Paragh calls the “ABCs” of detecting melanoma.

“It's still important to keep an eye out for asymmetry, irregular borders, color variation, larger than 6mm in diameter, or development. And I usually like to add 'funny' or 'funky,' which brings with it the ugly duckling sign, so to speak. So if something looks completely different to everything else on a skin, it's much more likely to be a worrisome spot,” he explained.

Dr. Paragh says the disease has become much more common in the last decade.

“Not only are melanomas one of the most common cancers in young adults, they are also mostly caused by excessive sun and UV exposure to the skin,” he said. “We diagnose about 100,000 invasive melanomas each year. And on top of that, there are about 100,000 melanomas in situ. And the incidence of melanoma has increased very rapidly in the last few decades. Fortunately, many of these melanomas are easily treatable.”

However, according to a recent study from the Cleveland Clinic, the five-year survival rate for melanoma that spreads to distant lymph nodes and other organs is 35%.

“Melanoma is a potentially very serious type of cancer because sometimes extremely small monomers can metastasize,” said Dr. Paragh.

Nathan had all three organs removed from his back, but it wasn't until April 13, 2022 that his family knew something was still wrong.

“Every time we thought they had saved my life. But it wasn't until 2022 that something happened. Something had gone wrong. So it had spread,” he said.

Years after the melanoma was removed, five tumors were found in his brain and one in his lung.

“Yes, it was very scary,” said Debbra.

“It's really like re-prioritizing right away. Like, very, very quickly. You figure out what's important and what's not,” he explained. “Everyone asks how are you? You know, and when I tell them it's the best day of my life, they often ask about that. And that's exactly my answer. We don't have access to yesterday. And I've learned that tomorrow is not promised. So today is not yet. That's kind of on me.”

While his brain was undergoing gamma knife radiation at the cancer center, both family time and his faith quickly became his priority.

“I mean, I'm on the road to recovery, I guess I still am,” he said, shrugging.

Tumors in his brain have now gone undetected and the tumor in his lung has remained stable.

“Last May, the nodule in my lung was 1.8 cm. And the last time we were there, it was 1.5 cm. So a little smaller. But they seem to explain that there is no new growth. So if the cell, if the tumor itself has not grown and if there are no new tumors, they consider that stable and that's good. So I'm a little better than stable,” he laughed. “In life, I'm a little better than stable.”

Now this family’s bond is stronger than ever.

“That's why the two of them donated their profits from the cafe's opening day to Roswell,” he said.

His daughter and her husband recently opened a cafe. On opening day, the couple donated all profits to the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“The first day, we ended up with about $2,500,” said Abigail Landen.

Giving something back together, but not without laughing more.

“Everyone came in to see the money maker, and while they were here they bought a cup of coffee,” Bailey laughed.

“He actually showed us a cardboard cutout of himself and signed the apron he wore all day,” Landen smiled.

The family hopes through their efforts to build an ongoing tradition to which the family wishes to give back.