I’m Christine Payette. I’ve been battling Melanoma cancer since 1984. Surfing while using baby oil to “glisten” was not exactly the right coating on my skin! I’m a regular patient quarterly for various treatments to those spots that surface! I’ve endured over 200 stitches at various times just on my face alone.

I’m also a caregiver. My mom required radiation treatments following her mastectomy.  I had just started my new job 10 days earlier and was training out of state. With Road To Recovery, my mom met a beautiful couple who cared for her as family in ensuring her treatment dates were met.

My sister, Candy, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma in 2006.  She required 2 different chemo shots which each having 10 day shelf life. Both shots could only be shipped from the east coast!  Accuracy and timeliness were imperative.  Her treatments were skewed every two weeks by the failure of the two companies in shipping consistently and accurately according to the prescriptions.

In the meantime, I was contacting every medical agency in Sacramento to help assist and correct this horrendous situation. After 5 long grueling months with meetings and insurmountable phone contacts, I finally accomplished her receiving her treatments timely and accurately consistently!

I was asked to write an article for the medical journal to share this journey. “Moving A Mountain Tenacity and Accountability” was published.  After that, ALL cancer patients in California could receive their chemo the way the doctor’s prescriptions were written as these two drugs were being shipped from Riverside CA!

If Relay For Life wasn’t in my community, I never would have known to reach out to ACS for assistance when in need and for direction. I’m grateful for what I learned from ACS and RFL.