While walking one day, Karen felt a lump on her leg, so she underwent a biopsy to examine the tumor. The biopsy results showed that the tumor was cancerous so after visiting her oncologist, she discovered that she has stage 4 melanoma.
During her treatment in San Francisco, a nurse advised Karen's husband Jerry to document and keep track of everything throughout Karen's treatment. Her treatment ended in September of 2005 but she soon felt the tumors coming back.
A CT scan confirmed that tumors had returned so she underwent the treatments again. Her treatments were working but the tumor kept coming back so Karen and her husband decided to try a clinical trial which they later described as god-sent.
In 2006 Karen started the clinical trial where she received four infusions and by the second infusion, the tumors had shrunk. Due to the good results, Karen continued participating in the maintenance program where she received five more infusions at 12-week intervals until she was declared cancer-free in 2007.
Aside from the positive effect of the treatments in the clinical trial, she said the close monitoring and support of the nurses and doctors was a contributing factor to her positive journey. The thorough records kept by her husband helped the doctors understand Karen's situation and formulate the right treatment for her. With the
close monitoring and support she received, she turned out to be a miracle who lived through stage 4 melanoma.