Black skin cancer. For 44-year-old Marco Hämmerli, these words used to be synonymous with death. Then he himself received the devastating diagnosis. Here he tells his story.
When the doctor called me and said that the birthmark was malignant, I was completely floored. The rest of the day I thought I was in a bad dream and then I woke up. Unfortunately, this was not the case. A few days earlier, I had discovered a birthmark on my back that was different in texture. I didn’t take it seriously at first because I have a lot of moles. My sixth sense kicked in and I decided to show it to a doctor. He cut it out and sent it to the lab.
After the shock diagnosis, I went hiking like never before. From the Bernese Oberland to Valais and back, simply get out into the fresh air. I constantly had these thoughts: The diagnosis must be a mistake! I’m in top shape and play ice hockey regularly. That doesn’t fit in at all with the cancer. Shortly afterwards I had my first appointment with the specialist at the USZ. She explained to me that my reaction was completely normal when I was diagnosed with cancer. Physical performance is also not yet impaired at the beginning. And the most important thing: black skin cancer is not a death sentence. There are different stages of the disease and effective treatment options.
I was very afraid of the treatment. The first step was an operation under general anesthesia because the lymph nodes were already affected. After that I went to immunotherapy every three weeks. The USZ team was an important support for me during this time. They explained everything to me in detail to allay my fears. The senior physicians treated me as an equal, and we sometimes laughed during our personal encounters. Everyone took time for me.
The second important support during this time was my family. Even though I still hate to admit it: I cried a few times during this time. When my two daughters Kaja and Lia saw me like that, they said: “Daddy, you don’t have to be sad, the cancer will go away.” Moments like that were a gift for me and they helped me to focus on the positive. There was a lot going on in my head during the year of treatment. I had a thousand questions and thoughts. At some point, I needed to talk to psychologists and people affected. Self-help groups like melanom-selbsthilfe.ch have helped me a lot during this time. You can really unload there and it doesn’t burden anyone. This is important for the mind and soul.
My thyroid gland was destroyed by the medication. I will probably have to take hormones for the rest of my life. But the cancer is also gone. The immunotherapy has worked perfectly. But the cancer can of course come back. I can only recommend everyone to have their skin checked regularly. And if you do get hit: never give up! Medicine is so advanced today, there is always a chance!
