I was 40 when I was diagnosed with stage IB melanoma. Five years after I had surgery to remove the tumor on my back, I was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma.

My local oncologist in Oklahoma City reviewed my PET scan and told me to come back in three months to recheck the suspicious spots found on my lungs. My wife and I felt like they were treating me as ‘just another cancer patient.’

Before I had even gotten into the car...