I had Melanoma, people say it wasnt "real" cancer?

when i was 26yrs old i got diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma. i am free and clear now (over 2 yrs ago). when i say I had melanoma alot of people acta nd/or say it isnt "real cancer" like breast or lung or somethin else. I am not someone who runs around screaming about being a survivor and wanted to be praised for living through cancer. but i have bad scars on my legs from surgeried for it , so the topic comes up often. What should i do about people making feel like my cancer wasnt "real" or "good enough"

MY MOM DIED OF MELANOMA CANCER.

Melanoma's one of the worst type of cancers!!!!!! Just cuz you got stage 2 and the doctors were able to get rid of it doesn't mean that it isn't a real type of cancer! You were lucky that you found it before it got worse....and you're lucky that they were able to get rid of it!!!!!!!! The doctors cut my moms out before it was bad....but on the RAREST chances it came back; and it spread. My mom died within 4 days that she found out that it was terminal. It's hard growing up without my mom, this shouldn't have happened!!! LITERALLY!!!! Melanoma's horrible, and I hope that for you it is truthfully gone and will never come back.

ask them what REAL cancer is to them..is it going under the knife to save their life or what?? cuz you've done that too. you've suffered and your life was in danger, therefore you ARE a cancer survivor. if skin cancer isnt real cancer, then people wouldnt be aware of it.

those people you spoke to are retarded.

my uncle died from Melanoma. You are a survivor. Ignore others or educate them.

Most likely people are afraid of what you had so their way of denying their fear is to deny that you had the cancer. Melanomas are nothing to take lightly in any way and should be treated as your physician sees fit. I think people fear this cancer is the fact that it can be aggresive and due to the fact that our ozone layer is thinning there is a greater chance of getting it and people like to be outside to enjoy the outside.
Just smile to yourself and help people understand about melanomas when they want to know about them.

Find out how many people die a year from melanoma and gently inform these people of the statistics and move on. I wish I knew so that I could just tell you, but I am sure a google search will give it to you or a call to your dermatologist. You will probably only change the perspective of a few, but just know that there are people who appreciate how serious it was for you. People can be ignorant sometimes and it is ashame they take something very real and traumatic to you and try to turn it into nothing. I too had skin cancer and even though it is not always as dramatic as other types of cancer it is very real and serious and scary.

It is a very real, very deadly cancer. And don't worry about other people or what they think. It is none of their business.

I am glad you are ok now.

What they said is not true. Melanoma is skin cancer. People die from melanomas because they grow so quickly and spread. You are a survivor. How bout you show them the truth and see how they'd react to having a melanoma.

Ask them if anyone else's cancer is dangerous enough to determine stage by millimeters. Not centimeters, millimeters.

QUOTE (caps mine):
Definition of Breslow thickness

Breslow thickness: A method for determining the prognosis with melanoma. The thickness of a melanoma is related to the 5-year survival rate after surgical removal of the tumor.

Named for the physician Alexander Breslow who in 1975 observed that as the thickness of the tumor increases, the chance of survival goes down. For example, a thickness of the melanoma of less than 0.76 millimeters *LESS THAN 1 MM* is associated with a 5-year survival of 97% of patients whereas a tumor thickness of more than 8.0 *LESS THAN 1 CM* millimeters is associated with 5-year survival of 32%.

ME AGAIN: Docs see melanoma and they panic. They do. I have never seen such quick referrals. And then...not many other cancers require the grueling interferon injections weekly for an entire year, whether the disease is clear or not.

Melanoma is dangerous, spreads quickly, and if it gets in lymph nodes, then everyone REALLY starts to panic.

Yup, milady, you are a survivor. Stay out of the sun and wear your scars proudly. You beat a killer beast.

Cancer is cancer and what you had was real. My mother in law died of melanoma. Ignore the ignorant. You are a cancer survivor.

Ignore them. Melanoma is extremely dangerous. You're lucky to be alive.

Melanoma IS a 'real' cancer, and those who are telling you that it's not are simply ignorant. Many people die from melanoma every year, and, to me, something that can kill you is as real as it gets. I think when most people think of melanoma, they imagine a tiny mole, outpatient sugery and poof, cancer's gone. These people have probably not seen pictures of melanoma, or experienced it themselves. They are probably unaware that melanoma, like any other cancer, can spread to other regions of the body. My suggestion, is that next time someone tries to tell you that melanoma is not real, you tell them to go stand out in the blazing sun for hours on end, every day, and when they get it, discuss it with their doctor, go through chemo/radiation/surgery to get rid of it, and SURVIVE, then they can tell you it's not a 'real' cancer.
Congratulations on beating, by the way.

i know two people who died from a melanoma. it's real cancer.