Base

Retired since May 2014. Age 68. Male

Worked as a healthcare software developer/programmer for 30 years.

Diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma in 9/1996 and stage 4 in 121/2007 when it spread to my adrenal gland which then was removed. It also was present in some nodes.

I was part of the Opdivo trails. Opdivo and Yervoy stabilized the spread. (Currently, there is no evidence that these immune therapies and ALS are related, as my oncologist and radiologist have researched for any connection.)

In the summer of 2018, I started dropping things from my left hand. I didn’t think much of this until it got bad and my whole left arm got very weak around 1/2019.

After many tests, including 2 EMGs, i was diagnosed with ALS. (One test was a brain MRI which found that the melanoma had spread to my brain. Mets were not causing the left arm/hand weakness, however. I received Cyberknife radiation treatment for the mets.)

I’m pretty much still independent. For example, I can still dress and bathe myself, but it does take much more time now to do basic activities.

There is more but that enough for now.

– Mike