After Recovery From Stage 3 Melanoma Cancer, Karry Haggerty Praises Her LVHN Team

Karry Haggerty, 56, is planning a trip to the beach this summer and may need an extra suitcase. She is taking her sun protection factor (SPF) shirt – made from fabric that guarantees an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of 50+ and blocks at least 98 percent of damaging ultraviolet radiation – her SPF hat, purchased after tons of research, lots of sunscreen, an umbrella and several pairs of sunglasses. “You can get melanoma cancer in your eyes,” she says.  

The Whitehall resident can’t be careful enough after being diagnosed with melanoma in 2023, then undergoing surgery, immunotherapy, plastic surgery and wound care that spanned almost two years of her life. And it all started with a freckle.

The small, raised freckle on Haggerty’s left calf bothered her and her two sisters, so she saw a dermatologist, who sent a sample to the lab. When the biopsy came back as malignant melanoma, Haggerty could hardly believe it. Her mother had battled cancer for four years before her death.

“When I got the news it took my breath away,” she says. “I was in shock.”

With this diagnosis, Haggerty was referred to surgical oncologist Aaron Blackham, MD, with Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute. Dr. Blackham performed a wide local excision and a sentinel lymph node biopsy. The melanoma was surgically removed and a radioactive tracer was used to find and remove the lymph nodes at greatest risk of cancer spread.

“The status of the sentinel lymph nodes tells us how well the patient will do, their chances of survival and whether the cancer might come back,” Dr. Blackham says. “If the sentinel nodes are negative for cancer, the chances of melanoma somewhere else in the body are very low. Unfortunately, Karry’s sentinel lymph nodes were positive for melanoma. Her melanoma was stage 3 and she qualified for additional treatment.”

The next step for Haggerty was meeting with hematologist oncologist Suresh Nair, MD, Physician in Chief with the Cancer Institute. He recommended Keytruda®, an immunotherapy medication. This treatment required 17 cycles of infusion. “Each time, they flushed my veins, put the drug in and then flushed again,” Haggerty says. “Some days it would wipe me out. I had no hair loss, but my appetite got weird, and I was very tired.”

Going forward, Haggerty will be followed with ultrasound and CT surveillance.

Meanwhile, Haggerty began to have complications with the spot where the cancer had been removed, which was the size of a large, oblong orange. A plastic surgeon had performed reconstructive surgery, using nearby tissue, to cover the area on her calf. However, the flap failed and had to be removed. This led to six weeks of wound care with a vacuum pump. The pump creates pressure to pull the edges of the wound together and help it heal faster.

Next, Haggerty had a skin graft, with tissue taken from her thigh, to close the wound. But as the wound healed and scar tissue developed, it was discovered the scar tissue had attached itself to her leg muscle. Her fourth surgery took place in February 2024 to remove the scar tissue from the muscle.

Today, Haggerty is doing well, according to Dr. Blackham. “All scans are negative,” he says. “Patients with stage 3 melanoma can do very well with surgery and immunotherapy.”

Haggerty doesn’t hesitate to say that her family – her children, sisters, dad, friends and the memories of her mother – kept her motivated as she went through her long battle with melanoma cancer. She also allows herself some credit. “It makes me realize I’m tougher than I thought,” she says.

Because Haggerty had melanoma, LVHN’s genetic counselors evaluated her for mutations. Those who have certain genetic compositions are more predisposed to breast cancer. She discovered she has a higher-than-average-risk. The recommendation for patients like Haggerty is monitoring more closely with a breast MRI in addition to an annual mammogram. She is thankful for the information. “Strangely enough, the freckle that tried to kill me led me to better health,” she says.

As she moves into a new phase of her life, she wishes for more awareness, while praising the team that helped her regain her health. “It doesn’t matter how old you are. People think only older people can get melanoma, but anyone can. It’s no joke,” she says. “I’m just so grateful for the team at LVHN. I couldn’t have had better care. From top to bottom, I couldn’t have had a better experience.”