Mom and daughter diagnosed with skin cancer: 'My heart just sank'

EAST QUOGUE, N.Y. — Allyson Scerri, who has dedicated her life to giving back to people with traumatic brain injuries as the founder of New Beginnings and Brendan House, is a familiar face on the local East End canvas, an indomitable power for good.

But recently, Scerri, who lives in East Quogue, has lent her voice to championing a new cause—skin cancer awareness, after she and her daughter were diagnosed just months apart.

In June 2023, Alison, 62, noticed she had a “wound that wouldn't heal”.

Alison is an avid boater, traveler and former sun worshiper, she said.

“Living in eastern Long Island, we all look forward to the beautiful summers and all that comes with them — activities like going to the beach, boating, relaxing by the pool,” Allison said. “What we don't often look at are the risks and consequences that go along with this lifestyle.”

After noticing the suspicious lump on her upper forehead, which remained, a lifelong friend and cancer survivor urged Alison to be proactive and get a body scan, she said.

He was diagnosed with Basal Cell Cancer, also known as BCC or Basal Cell Carcinoma. Allyson said she was lucky to find Dr. Kenneth Mark, who was able to treat her BCC through Mohs surgery, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, “involves cutting away thin layers of skin. Each thin layer is carefully examined for signs of cancer. The process continues until there are no signs of cancer. The goal of Mohs surgery is to remove all skin cancer without harming the healthy skin around it.”

But soon, just four months later, Allison's heart, the heart of a devoted mother, was clouded by news that was more terrifying than her own diagnosis: Her daughter, Alyssa Newcomb, 34, who lives in Hampton Bays, was diagnosed with melanoma. .

In October, Alyssa noticed she had a “black freckle that changed in shape and size over time,” Allyson said. The news left her frozen in disbelief. “He's not a sun worshiper — I am,” he said.

“A millennial who grew up in the tanning bed era,” Alyssa said, however, “she was no stranger to the sun and tanning. After all, everyone feels better bronzed. In time, that early damage would come out with form of a freckle'.

In 2021, Alyssa had a body scan at her local dermatologist. She left the appointment without any worries.

After noticing the dark freckle in 2023 on her chin, and at the urging of her esthetician and her mother, who had just experienced a similar scare of her own, Alyssa said she returned to her dermatologist to have the spot examined.

Her dermatologist did a biopsy on the spot and when the results came back, it turned out to be melanoma.

“At first I panicked,” Alyssa said. But then, armed with determination, she said she wanted to get all the information she could before determining treatment options.

“We met with several doctors until we found the right method. Alyssa found a wonderful melanoma specialist, Dr. Alan Kadison, who eased her worries and made her feel like she was in great hands,” Allyson said. “Unlike Mohs surgery, the best option for Alyssa was to surgically remove the melanoma. Alyssa was so lucky to catch the melanoma early. Early detection saves lives.”

According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is by far the most common of all cancers in the United States. Melanoma accounts for only about 1 percent of skin cancers, but causes the vast majority of skin cancer deaths, the ACS said.

The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 100,640 new melanomas will be diagnosed in 2024, with approximately 59,170 in men and 41,470 in women.

Having lighter skin color is a significant risk factor for melanoma, the American Cancer Society said, with the lifetime risk of developing melanoma about 3 percent, or 1 in 33, for whites, 0.1 percent, or 1 in 1,000 for the blacks. and 0.5 percent, or 1 in 200 for Hispanics.

Alison expressed eternal gratitude to her doctor, who not only treated her immediately with Mohs surgery, but also referred her to the doctor who helped her daughter.

Alison said that when she was growing up, sunbathing was the norm. “We were all so tanned, with big hair and bright pink lipstick,” she said.

When she first noticed the bump on her head, Alison's first instinct was to avoid it, she admitted. “I hate going to the doctor,” she said. But her friend, a cancer survivor, urged her to get a full body scan, and she did.

“In my heart, I thought it might be something. I just had a weird feeling, it wouldn't go away and it looked different.” While her diagnosis “wasn't the worst,” it was something she couldn't ignore, her doctor said, urging her to have it removed.

Her daughter, she said, went to the dermatologist in October.

“The black freckle almost looked like a chocolate chip on her chin,” Alison said. “I had noticed that too — it was like a beauty mark, but she didn't always have it.”

A few days later, Alison said, her daughter was driving home from Mattituck, where she teaches Spanish to 7th and 8th graders, when she heard the news. “He called me and said, 'Mom, it's melanoma.' My heart just sank.”

Because of her recent experience and the knowledge she had gained, Alison realized that melanoma can be fatal. “It was very scary,” she said

After a biopsy, her daughter's doctor found that the melanoma was a little deeper than she had originally thought. “Old school,” she decided, “to get in and take it easy,” Alison said. “He told us, 'We don't want to say in 10 years that we missed anything.'

After general anesthesia and surgery and later, a plastic surgeon, her daughter was soon on the mend.

“Her doctor told us, 'You'll never get skin cancer again, because you'll be here every three months and if we find anything, it'll be before it gets bad.'

Sharing the experience with her daughter was something Alison never envisioned. “But I was able to say, 'I know what you're going through.' I understood it in a way I wouldn't have before, when I didn't know anything about skin cancer.”

Allyson's husband, Steve Scerri, has also been a huge support, she said.

Already, Alyssa has returned for a three-month checkup and had two more biopsies, but all is well, she said.

While Allyson is a self-described “worrier,” her daughter, she said, is “more carefree. He's on a cruise right now, wearing a big hat and sunscreen. We both love the sun – we'll just have to find a different way of doing things. I'm all for the nice hat and I'm sitting under an umbrella now.'

In the past, he said, beach umbrellas were something he never thought about. But now, she would never go without.

Her new mission, and her daughter's, is to raise awareness about the dangers of the sun, she said.

Both believe in helping people and giving back. Alyssa, her mother said, has already urged many people to get tested. “It's definitely her journey, even more so than mine,” Alison said. “He's just a person who naturally helps others. It's incredible.”

Allyson said she has a message to share: “Don't be afraid. Skin cancer is very preventable. You can still be fashionable and still be safe. But we need to talk about it.”

Famous sun worshiper Jimmy Buffet died of complications from Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer, Allyson noted. To honor his life, his fans should practice safe tanning — including spray tans instead of sunbeds, where UV rays play a role, he said. Even at the nail salon, Allyson suggests wearing gloves to protect hands from UV rays during procedures.

The time is now to have the important conversations about sun safety, Alison said. “Summer is coming,” he said.

She and her daughter are even closer than they were before their shared health experience, Alison said. “We've been so close, and now we're even closer,” he said.

When Alyssa had back surgery four years ago, she was in a lot of pain, but she never complained. As she faced her latest health challenge with determination, her mother said. “She's so strong, stronger than me. But we both want to be strong advocates on these health issues.”

Allyson added: “We're just a mum and her daughter helping each other – and now we both want to help the community.”