At seventy-two, Sylvia Windham understands the value of a smile. Knowing that this small gesture can change someone’s day, her smile has led her into rooms filled with friends, family, and strangers. However, having lost her husband and son to melanoma nearly two decades ago, Sylvia had to remain vigilant to protect her own health.
After her daughter’s recent recovery from melanoma, Sylvia was diagnosed with the same cancer that had changed her family, and life, decades before. Thankfully, the melanoma was found during a regular visit with her dermatologist, while it was still isolated to the left-side of her upper lip. While the memories from the previous treamtents for her family flooded in, Sylvia prepared for her own recovery, given confidence by the medical advancements that she believes saved her daughter.
“My daughter survived because 20 years make a difference in treatment for cancer”
Having found the melanoma early, her dermatologist was able to effectively remove all cancer from the area and prepared to repair her lip. They opted for our intact fish skin grafts, aware that limiting contraction would be essential to maintaining the shape and depth of the complex structure. With surgery successful, Sylvia was left only to wonder if the same smile would come through the other end of this ordeal.
Fast forward to today, and Sylvia’s life has returned to normal, surrounded by those who appreciate her smile. Whenever someone realizes she’s had surgery, she’ll crack a smile and tell them “Oh yeah, I’m part fish because they used fish skin for my skin to grow on”.
