by Niki Kozak
I will never again think, “It can’t happen to me.”
At 44 years old, I had it all. I was a mom, a wife, a morning radio DJ, a radio station Promotions Director, a runner, and an avid cyclist—truly in the best shape of my life. I never saw the “life flip” coming.
My bicycle was ready for the usual 22 miles of a “mental break ride” at lunch the day everything changed. That morning, while on air, I had a grand mal seizure. It was a Friday—April 12, 2013, at 8:15 a.m.
An ambulance ride to the ER and a few hours of searching and scanning revealed “at least three tumors” in my brain, along with three more in my lungs. Just like that, my life had changed. I had Stage IV cancer—with a 4% chance to make it another six months.
Even looking back now, I can’t point to any definite signs that my body or brain was being overtaken by melanoma.
The Diagnosis No One Wants
I was diagnosed that April with Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma.
Unfortunately, our family had already been through heartbreak—three of our parents had died from cancer between 2006 and early 2013. But that experience gave my husband something invaluable: knowledge. He had become an experienced caregiver and patient advocate.
When I got my diagnosis, he knew exactly what we needed to do: act fast and get the right experts involved.
Within a week, I had a neurosurgical consultation. Just 11 days after my ER visit, I underwent brain surgery. That first craniotomy was followed three weeks later by gamma knife radiation to treat the tumors remaining in my head. Four days after that, I began my first round of immunotherapy (Yervoy) to address the tumors in my lungs.
That round of Yervoy finished in late July 2013. By September, I needed another round of gamma knife radiation to treat two new brain tumors.
And that? That was just the beginning of a very long story.
Twelve Years Later… I’m Still Here
Fast forward to today—twelve years since that life-changing day—and I’m still here.
There is no “cure” for melanoma. But I’ve come through two craniotomies, had a lung lobe removed, resection of a lump on my back, 10 rounds of gamma knife brain radiation (37 tumors zapped!), four months of what we laughingly refer to as “Mike’s Magic Pill,” and nearly two years of immunotherapy infusions.
Active treatment has wrapped up, but follow-up care is forever part of life. I still get annual medical oncology checkups, brain MRIs every 5–6 months, and regular visits to radiation oncology and dermatology.
Nothing is the normal it was over a decade ago. Now we live in “cancer’s normal.” And strangely… it’s not all bad.
Finding Gratitude in the Journey
We’ve come to know our doctors, nurses, and staff so well. They smile with me, laugh with me, and stay vigilant alongside me.
This journey hasn’t been easy. It hasn’t always been a walk in the park. But I’ve learned a few things:
- Pain is often temporary.
- Helpers and ordinary angels are everywhere.
- And yes—some good can come from even the worst moments.
If you’re reading this and facing your own diagnosis, I hope this helps you feel a little less alone. There’s life after cancer—different, but still deeply worth living.
