Living with Melanoma: How One Alumnus Finds Purpose and Passion Through Writing

By Michelle Holder, B.S. Journalism 2022

Ken Billett, B.S. Broadcasting 1984, has used writing and storytelling to not only advocate for causes close to his heart but also to pursue his lifelong passion.

Growing up in Tampa, Florida, Billett spent summers sprawled out on beaches, getting sunburnt and salty sans sunscreen. Throughout high school, with an interest in writing, he worked on his school paper and was editor-in-chief his senior year.

“One of the reasons I went to Florida was because of the reputation of the journalism school,” Billett said.

As a University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications student, Billett was involved with the nightly news cast as a camera crew operator, sound technician and, during his senior year, an on-location reporter. He also worked as a teaching assistant for a broadcasting class.

Spending many nights at Weimer Hall and producing broadcasts in the newsroom made for a strong community at the school. “We were a pretty tight-knit group, especially as we got into the spring semester of our junior year. Those of us who were in broadcasting, especially in TV, got to work on a lot of projects together,” he shared.

After graduation, Billett said he felt he didn’t have a clear sense of direction of what he wanted to do. He worked a retail job and lived at home until he entered a training program for a large computer company based in Dallas. Billett then started working in various corporate positions, beginning with customer support, and, eventually, moving into management roles in human resources and employee benefits.

In the late 1980s, Billett met Vicki Black, and after getting married in Dallas in 1989, the newlyweds moved to Memphis, Tennessee for Billett’s career.

In the mid-2000s, Billett shifted from the corporate world to working in education and pursued a master’s in education and began working as an elementary school teacher for almost a decade. “It was rewarding,” Billett said. “Teaching is one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do as far as work.”

In 1995, he had a mole biopsied, a decision that saved his life. It revealed he had melanoma in situ. Since that biopsy, Billett has had 10 melanomas diagnosed and removed. In 2011, he had major surgery to remove a Stage IIB tumor along with a tennis ball-sized area of surrounding tissue from his upper back. Then in 2013, a PET scan showed that his melanoma had spread to his lungs. He was given only months to live.

“Just to be told that ‘if we can’t do something, you only have so many months to live,’ that’s a very weird, shocking thing to go through,” Billett shared.

However, after the 2013 diagnosis, two labs confirmed that Billett’s cancer had a rare mutation called a c-Kit mutation, which is found in less than seven percent of all melanoma patients. The mutation responds well to a specific oral chemotherapy drug. But Billett continued to have new cutaneous melanomas over the next years, and in 2020 a biopsy showed that melanoma had spread again to his adrenal gland.

After two years of successful immunotherapy, Billett’s melanoma is currently in a small and stable status and he has routine scans and check-ups for the rest of his life.

Billett turned to writing to share his story and became an advocate for skin cancer prevention. He started a blog in 2013, where he wrote about his life and cancer journey and he said it helped refine his skill and craft as a writer. He then began writing freelance as a community advocate for organizations like the West Cancer Center and Research Institute, Skincancer.net and Storyboard Memphis. From personal essays to profiles, Billett writes on various topics including life anecdotes and his love for blues music and its history.

Billett’s involvement with nonprofit organizations advocating for skin cancer prevention and melanoma awareness has been a big part of his life. He is part of the work at the Department of Defense Melanoma Research Program, which is a Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program with an initiative to fund groundbreaking medical research. Through this program, Billett works with scientists and researchers as a consumer reviewer. He also is an executive board member of the Melanoma Action Coalition where he helps fundraise and spread awareness.

“Our system may not be perfect, but medicine continues to do some incredible things; science does some incredible things,” he said.

In March 2023, Billett was a speaker at the Melanoma Research Alliance’s annual Scientific Retreat in Washington, D.C. As a patient advocate, he spoke about his cancer journey in front of over 600 people.

“That experience was just crazy,” he shared. “There are a ton of people at all different levels, who are trying to do their darn best…who really are trying to do what they can for people (with melanoma).”

While his cancer created hardships and challenging times, it shaped who Billett is today. An Einstein quote became his mantra during this time of his life: “In difficulty lies opportunity.” These words represented his desire to give back as much as possible through advocacy work.

“Sometimes you just have to let the journey happen,” he said. “Just see what happens and see where the road takes you.”

Billett is also involved with mentoring melanoma patients and supporting them through their cancer journeys. Through friendships and support groups, he has found strength and support in this community.

“I’ve made the best, if you will, or have tried to make the best out of a bad situation, and I think I’m a better person for having everything that’s happened,” Billett shared.

Alongside his freelancing, Billett writes for himself and has a few fiction novel ideas in the works. He plans to write as much as he can and continue to devote his time to freelance and advocacy.

“You may go in one direction and come back and eventually get there. That’s what happened to me; that journey has kind of come full circle.” he said.

Posted: July 26, 2023
Category: Alumni Profiles, College News, Profiles
Tagged as: Ken Billett, Melanoma