Cancer Journey: Cassie Beisel

My name is Cassie Beisel and I am an advisor for 1104Health and I am a three time cancer survivor. In 2011, at the age of 32, I was diagnosed with my first cancer. I had a lump under my arm and I wasn’t really worried about it but decided to go to the doctor anyways. They sent me for pathology and it turned out I had Stage 3C melanoma. 

I had no primary mole or any spots anywhere on my body, and so I had no precursors to let me know that this was coming. After a full lymph node dissection, they realized that the melanoma had spread regionally to three out of 36 of my lymph nodes, which put me at Stage 3C. I did a year of interferon after that, which is now considered an archaic treatment and they’ve actually taken it off the market. It gave me only a 15% chance of survival. I made it through the full year of this very grueling treatment. And six months after that, I rode 100 mile bike ride to raise funds for a Melanoma Foundation. Three days later, and it was 2012 at this point. I was in the hospital being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. I had a chromosomal mutation that made my prognosis very poor, and I desperately needed a bone marrow transplant.

Unfortunately, having had melanoma before and due to it being so affected by the immune system, I was only able to use my brother’s bone marrow, which were a perfect match to mine and had to use mine. This was considered experimental back in 2012. Fortunately, it was a success. Due to the grueling regimens again from both cancer treatments, the bone marrow transplant, the Interferon, I later in 2018 develop squamous cell carcinoma where the sun does not shine and had to go through three Mohs surgery, leaving very large scars due to having to heal as open wounds. I’m happy to say that I am thriving today as a as a survivor and happy, too, to introduce myself to you. 

A cancer journey is never easy, no matter your diagnosis. As a patient, I went through a myriad of emotions, from disbelief to fear and anger to anxiety and acceptance, and then back around again. There were definitely times of uncertainty, but there were also times of hope and a general feeling of, I’ve got this.

My first reaction when I was diagnosed with melanoma was absolute disbelief. I was young and in the best shape of my life, frankly. I often thought, Why me? Why now? What did I do in my life that brought this upon me? When I was diagnosed with my second and unrelated cancer, the leukemia, just six months after finishing my melanoma treatment, I was absolutely shocked and realized I might be the 1% and why not me? There were definitely tears due to my poor prognosis, but I knew I needed to do everything I could to find the right care team resources and stay vigilant to ensure I was part of the shared decision making process. 

I missed out on the Phase 1 clinical trials of YERVOY during my melanoma. Yervoy was a groundbreaking melanoma treatment that has been successful at treating melanoma and other cancers.This was because I did not seek out a melanoma specialist or know that I needed to seek out a melanoma specialist who would know to look for specific mutations prior to creating a treatment plan. I did not know that I was BRAF positive, which would have made a huge difference and I would have been accepted into a clinical trial before they removed my lymph nodes.

I really wish there was a way as a patient to view and understand what clinical trials were available. But the only tool we had was clinicaltrials.gov, which wasn’t the easiest to navigate, especially under the pressure of time. 

I would like to say, as a survivor and health care advocacy professional, becoming involved with 1104Health was an easy choice. I want to make sure that caregivers and patients know that they have the power within themselves to advocate for the care that you so desperately need and deserve, as well as understanding that you are part of the decision making process. You are part of the who you see, the what you do, the why you do it, and how you go about it. You are able and allowed to ask all the questions. You need to be well-informed and understand the myriad of possibilities and treatment options, whether it’s already an FDA approved treatment option or whether you’re going to be part of a clinical trial. You have a voice and a say in what you do.I would also like to say get as many resources you can from as many different places as you can and seek a specialist that works for you. Just because you go to one specialist does not mean that you cannot go out and get a second opinion or even fire a specialist she spoke to in order to get the specialist that fits right for you.