UA-118272889-1 1739406299646766 No Tan Is Worth Dying For; An Interview With Stage IV Melanoma Survivor, Becca Pendarvis - WE Have Cancer

Episode 155

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Published on:

14th Jul 2020

No Tan Is Worth Dying For; An Interview With Stage IV Melanoma Survivor, Becca Pendarvis

We revisit this episode which was originally published in July, 2019.

As a teenager growing up in Kansas, Becca Pendarvis spent her summers doing everything she could to get as tan as possible. Now a mother of a seventeen year-old daughter, she has spent the last eight years dealing with Stage 4 Melanoma skin cancer.

During our conversation we discussed:

  • Why she loves living in New York City and how living there helped her cope with her cancer.
  • The common misconceptions about Skin Cancer.
  • How to use A-B-C-D-E to identify possible skin cancers.
  • The fact that she's now N.E.D. (No Evidence of Disease) after initially being told she had 9 - 18 months to live.
  • The impact her illness had on her daughter.
  • Camp Kesem - a nationwide community that supports the children of parents affected by cancer - and how it helped her daughter.
  • Her thoughts on tanning and tanning beds.

Links Mentioned In the Show

Camp Kesem - https://campkesem.org/

Know the ABCDEs of Skin Cancer - https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/melanoma/melanoma-warning-signs-and-images/do-you-know-your-abcdes

Follow Becca on Instagram - https://instagram.com/notanisworthdyingfor

Follow Becca on Twitter - https://twitter.com/beccapendarvis

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Know someone touched by cancer who has an inspiring story? Email Lee

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About the Podcast

WE Have Cancer
Providing information, inspiration and hope to those touched by cancer.
Each year more than 12 million people will hear the devastating words "you have cancer."

In each episode of WE Have Cancer we share the stories of patients, survivors, caregivers and medical professionals as a way to provide information, inspiration and hope to those touched by cancer.

The host, Lee Silverstein, is a survivor of a rare form of pediatric kidney cancer and has been battling stage 4 colon cancer since 2011.

About your host

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Lee & Linda Silverstein

In 2011, just four months after they began dating, Lee was diagnosed with Stage 2 colon cancer. A year and a half later, 17 days after their honeymoon, they learned that Lee’s cancer had spread to his liver; he was now Stage 4. Through numerous surgeries, chemotherapy infusions and assorted other treatments, Linda has been by his side. Despite cancer, Lee and Linda say unequivocally these have been the best years of their lives.

In 2015 Lee launched this podcast as a way to provide information, inspiration and hope to those affected by cancer.

Lee and Linda live in Florida with their Westie Terrier, Fergie.

The WE Have Cancer podcast is supported by The Colon Cancer Coalition - https://coloncancercoalition.org