"Skin cancer changed my life. But I'm not going to give up!" says Kristýna

When Kristýna was eighteen, she started having frequent bouts of sickness. She repeatedly took antibiotics, and at first both she and the doctors thought she simply had a weak immune system. But one day, whilst listening to her breathing, the doctor noticed a strange mark on Kristýna's back. He didn't like the look of it, so he wrote a request to the surgeon to have the mole cut out and sent for histological analysis. Then something happened that nobody was expecting, and Kristýna's life suddenly turned into a nightmare...

The worst-case scenario

"I have skin cancer?" Kristýna reacted in horror to the news that the histology of the mole had shown a bad result and, according to the doctor, there was a finding. Moreover, the finding was the worst possible one - melanoma, a malignant skin tumour.

In that moment, Kristýna's whole world changed. Tears started rolling down her face, she couldn't understand how something like this could happen and why it was happening to her. "I have naturally brown skin, I've always tanned easily, so I've never really cared much for sunscreen. In spite of that, I never thought that I would ever get skin cancer.

I remember only one time I burnt my back really badly at the swimming pool in summer. It even blistered. And just at the top between my shoulder blades I had this freckle, which then suddenly changed shape..." recalls Kristýna.

A monster called cancer

When Kristýna heard the word "cancer" in connection with her name for the first time in the doctor's office, she felt sick. "At that moment you immediately think of the worst, you can't help it," she says. The very next morning she had to go with her mother to a specialised oncology centre.

"My mother and I couldn't find the right office, it was an incredible maze. By mistake, we visited completely different floors of the building, where I saw many people waiting for chemotherapy with bare heads or with scarves on their heads. At that moment I felt even worse than I had been feeling up to that point..."

When Kristýna finally made it to the right office, a whole team of doctors was waiting for her. "All five doctors were looking at me, looking at paperwork and using terms I absolutely did not understand. The only thing that stayed in my head at the time was the word 'malignant'. I had a malignant melanoma and was due for surgery in a month."

First operation and other unpleasant surprises

D-day came, when Kristýna was to undergo an operation. Before the procedure, however, she had to undergo a PET CT scan, the purpose of which is to detect whether there are other malignant findings elsewhere in the body. "Then it was discovered that I had other tumours in my body, both in my sweat glands and in my armpits. During the operation, the doctors cut my back again so that nothing malignant would remain, and at the same time they removed part of my sweat glands from both sides where the tumours had appeared." 

The operation went well and Christina was only bothered by the scar on her back, which healed very poorly. However, her oncologist comforted her at her check-up with the news that she had the "all clear" at that point and would now only have to have preventative check-ups every three months. 

After three years of dormancy, along came another blow

For three years, Kristýna revelled in the feeling that she was fine. As a high-risk patient, she had to constantly attend preventive check-ups (bloods, ultrasounds and the occasional PET-CT scan), but otherwise she was able to function normally and was extremely grateful to a certain someone up there. She found a new job and a new boyfriend, with whom she even planned a wedding and a baby.

"I remember the doctor cheerfully saying to me at the time, 'You know what? Two weeks after the wedding, we'll do a PET scan, and if everything is fine, I'll finally give you a break, okay?' I really wanted a baby, so I enthusiastically agreed and was excited."

Fourteen days after the wedding, the scheduled PET CT scan took place and two days later, Kristýna went to get the results. When she entered the office, the doctor asked her how she was feeling. She replied that she was fine. But she wondered why he still hadn't told her the result... He wanted her to sit down. Then he told Kristýna that there was again another abnormal finding in her body...

This time on her lungs. She and the doctor then agreed that it would be best to remove the tumour as soon as possible so that Kristýna could reconsider her wish of having a baby again.

During the second surgery, Kristýna had a piece of her lung removed

Kristýna spent six hours in surgery this time. Then she stayed in hospital for a week. She was in terrible pain because the doctors had to open her ribs and remove a piece of her lung during the procedure. After the operation, Kristýna had to undergo a year of preventive immunotherapy and then another PET-CT scan. 

Kristýna believed that everything would finally be all right and she and her husband could at last contemplate having a baby. But even then, the doctor still didn't have good news for Kristýna. The verdict was uncompromising - metastases on both lungs. "It all just got to me, and I started crying again uncontrollably. I felt really helpless," recalls Kristýna, who was about to undergo another treatment, this time biological. "As soon as I left the office, I called my husband to tell him where to pick me up. Then in the car, I had a complete meltdown in front of my husband."

That same afternoon, Kristýna and her husband went to see the doctor, who explained the next course of action. "I had metastases all over my lungs and the bio-therapy was the biggest ace up my sleeve. The doctor estimated an 85% chance of success. In reality, this meant getting 12 different tablets of above-average size into me every day," says Kristýna.

What are the side effects of biological treatment? Almost unbearable

Getting the medication into me, however, was by far the hardest part. After about three days, the side effects kicked in - dizziness, blurred vision. Kristýna slept most of the day. As time went on, it got worse. There were daily intestinal and stomach problems. "Imagine you have the stomach flu every day. That's exactly how I felt at the time..." 

In addition, the biological treatment also affected Kristýna's eyes. Fluid had formed in one of her eyes and her vision became blurry. Due to problems with her vision and many other side effects, she had to suspend her bio-therapy at various times or at least take less medication temporarily. Fortunately, according to the latest PET CT results, the treatment still seems to be working. Kristýna's lung tumour is gradually shrinking and, according to the doctor, is no longer very active. 

How does Kristýna live today and how her illness changed her life?

At the moment Kristýna's condition is stable and she feels well within her limits. She is a strong woman and an incredible fighter who spreads awareness about the risks of skin cancer on her Instagram @melanom_a_ja and has become a member of the association whose goal is to help cancer patients in any way possible. 

Her view of the sun today and a final message 

And how does Christina treat her skin today? "I definitely don't expose myself to the sun anymore. I apply SPF 50+ cream all year round. On summer holidays, I also have a beach tent with UV protection and I go into the water in a dress. I would also like to add that tanning beds are not really synonymous with a healthy tan, as I have often heard or read. On the contrary, it can have serious consequences for skin health and increases the likelihood of skin cancer. Please think about it and treat your skin and your body with care. Health really is the most precious thing you have," she adds.