Dena Miller is a paramedic and single mother of three that was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic melanoma two days after the birth of her son Stoney on 9/11/12. Dena had been very sick throughout her pregnancy and was in and out of the hospital. A c-section was performed early because Dena was not able to keep food down in order to nourish her baby. Two days after the c-section Dena was in horrific pain and requested that imaging be done to find the source of her pain. A large tumor was found in her liver and she was told to go home and take pain medicine and the tumor would resolve. Dena fought to get to a higher level of care because there is no liver specialist in Lubbock. She was forced by her insurance company to see a general surgeon that had done a one year externship in liver disease, who placed a drain in the tumor. This made her pain intolerable. She finally was able to get to a higher level of care & see a surgeon @ Baylor Dallas. The surgeon said that the tumor had to be removed or she would die, however the surgery was very high risk. Dr. Goldstein removed the 17lb. tumor along with 1/3 of Dena's liver. The tumor pathology revealed metastatic melanoma. She was then referred to an oncologist and began her first chemo which worked for a few months and then stopped. She was then given two other chemotherapies, neither of which worked. The melanoma then penetrated her stomach and had spread to her lungs and abdomen. The hospital then sent Dena home on hospice. Having an 8 month old baby and two other children, Dena refused to quit. Dena had surgery to have the tumors resected and found a clinical trial for a drug that showed great promise for many. The clinical trial for the drug anti-PDL1 was only available in certain locations. The closest location for the trial was in Los Angeles, CA at The Angeles Clinic. Dena traveled to LA every other week for the clinical trial drug for 7 months and was then able to transfer to MD Anderson in Houston. The drug shrunk her tumors 82.2% in the 12 month duration of the clinical trial. Unfortunately the trial ended and the drug company was not willing to continue the drug because all data for fast track FDA approval was collected. The trial ended for Dena in December 2014. The drug was not yet FDA approved and so Dena went without treatment for several months and the cancer began to grow aggressively again. Dena had surgery in January 2015 and was anxiously awaiting approval of an anti-PDL1 or an anti-PD1 drug like the trial drug. March of 2015 Dena was approved for the FDA approved anti-PD1 drug Keytruda. This drug stimulates the immune system to fight the cancer. Dena has had amazing results with the drug and currently has no evidence of disease, however because the cancer is fought off by the immune system she must continue the chemo. Dena is still unable to work only receiving disability and has to continue the chemo and travel to Baylor Dallas, Sammons Cancer Center every three weeks from Lubbock. Any help would allow Dena to continue this life saving treatment and be a blessing to both her and her children.

Blessings- Dena, Taylor, Ashton & Stoney