JEFFERSON COUNTY, Wis. — Once a week, you can find Jill Freiermuth at the Humane Society of Jefferson County.
“I clean the kennels, and I walk the dogs and do anything they need me to do to get them ready to go home,” said Freiermuth.
For Freiermuth, it’s about more than just volunteering.
“It’s an escape from the reality of treatments and doctors and hospitals,” said Freiermuth. “Coming here was just as good for me as is for them.”
In 2007, she was diagnosed with melanoma.
“It was an easy surgery back then,” said Freiermuth. “Just took the suspicious spot off the back of my calf. Then I went on my merry way with my six-month skin checks. Then in 2010, I felt a large lump in my groin and that was when the melanoma had returned to my lymph node.”
That started Freiermuth’s journey of trying new treatments and undergoing different clinical trials through the UW Health Carbone Cancer Center.
“I was hopping from one treatment to the other to the other and finally made it to one that worked for me,” said Freiermuth.
Thanks to new advancements in the medical field, she’s seven years cancer free.
Dr. Mark Albertini, her oncologist, said a lot of these treatments weren’t available until 2011.
“We had very few treatments and those treatments very limited benefit in patients with melanoma,” said Albertini. “What has happened is we really had many advances and these are through the laboratory. The research laboratory has provided insights that have identified ways to use newer treatments, more specifically immunotherapy treatments that can help many patients and even cure some patients with metastatic melanoma.”
While melanoma only accounts for 1% of skin cancers, it’s the deadliest, according to the Melanoma Research Foundation.
Research shows that nearly 90% of cases are caused by UV rays. Another 10% is family history, genetics and environmental factors.
Freiermuth is the honoree at the 2025 Steps Against Melanoma Walk.
“I’ve been to that event for many, many years,” said Freiermuth. “Every year I always want to hear the person that speaks because they give you hope that they’ve been through it and they’ve come out on the other side okay. I’m very honored to hopefully give an inspirational speech.”
The walk is May 18 at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m.