I've had a birthmark just above my right ankle for as long as I can remember. But earlier this summer, I noticed it had changed shape. There were now multiple circles inside the spot, and one of the edges was cloudy. For the first time, I could also feel the birthmark. I could feel it growing; it was a weird sensation that I’m not sure how to describe.
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When I received the bad news about a week after the biopsy, I was shocked. I had melanoma, the least common yet most dangerous of the three forms of skin cancer. A telltale sign of melanoma is a mark or spot that has changed color or shape, just as my birthmark had. (Melanomas can also look like a bruise that doesn't heal or a dark streak under a finger or toenail, or simply be a spot that looks unusual or weird.)
The doctor called me himself to tell me, and he asked if I had any questions. I was at work and managed to ask a few things, but I could barely formulate a thought. My worst fear had come true.
I texted my husband simply, “it was melanoma” right after the call. He came to my workplace immediately to make sure I was okay, and from there he took the lead on all the doctor calls and follow-ups, asking questions when I couldn’t. We set up an appointment a week later to have the melanoma removed by a surgical oncologist.
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Looking back, I felt so unsure of everything: when I would get an appointment, when I would have surgery, when I would be cancer-free. Every day felt like a year passing by, and there was so much waiting. Waiting for the biopsy results, waiting for the consultation, waiting for the surgery. I know these doctors are helping so many others, but man, it’s hard when it’s you.
Finally surgery day came. I was sedated, but I later found out that it went smoothly. The surgeon took a 5-inch piece of skin from my upper thigh near my groin and grafted it onto my ankle, to cover the skin that was cut out to make sure all of the melanoma was gone.
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My personal service announcement to everyone is to get a regular full-body skin scan by a dermatologist. Finding something early on, before it's even cancer, makes the problem a lot easier to address.
I've realized that there's a certain level of unawareness when it comes to skin cancer. I think everyone knows to wear sunscreen in the sun, but not everyone understands the different types of skin cancer, how it can develop, and how serious melanoma really is. I’m grateful that this experience has enabled me to have these conversations about skin cancer and to encourage people to get checked.
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