She Thought it Was a Pimple, but It Was Something Much Scarier! - PH TRENDING
15-year-old Gemma Cottam didn’t think much about the small mole that began to form on the side of her face. When it first appeared she thought it was an ordinary pimple and over time it grew into a small mole.
It was checked by a dermatologist, who told her it was okay and nothing to worry about. The dermatologist offered to remove it, but Gemma was nervous about the process and declined.
The mole increased drastically in size over the next 10 years, so she decided she should have it removed.
She returned from a vacation where her sweetheart Paul proposed to her and she made an appointment to have the mole removed.
The procedure didn’t take long, only 20 minutes. However, it took several weeks for the results of the biopsy to come back. A biopsy is always done whenever moles are removed.
Unfortunately, the results were a scary shock. The doctor told her that the mole was cancerous and that she had stage two melanoma. Because of the size and thickness of the mole, the skin around it still needed to be removed as well as there was a 95% cha.
She needed to have 3cm of skin removed from her face and a biopsy done on her lymph nodes in order to determine whether the cancer had spread.
Although she got a large scar, her first surgery was successful. However, she soon got terrible news. The cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and was now Stage 3. She had to undergo yet another procedure.
She is now telling her story in order to raise awareness about the dangers of suspicious or rapidly changing moles. She knows that by letting people know what happened, she might possibly save a life.
It was checked by a dermatologist, who told her it was okay and nothing to worry about. The dermatologist offered to remove it, but Gemma was nervous about the process and declined.
The mole increased drastically in size over the next 10 years, so she decided she should have it removed.
She returned from a vacation where her sweetheart Paul proposed to her and she made an appointment to have the mole removed.
The procedure didn’t take long, only 20 minutes. However, it took several weeks for the results of the biopsy to come back. A biopsy is always done whenever moles are removed.
Unfortunately, the results were a scary shock. The doctor told her that the mole was cancerous and that she had stage two melanoma. Because of the size and thickness of the mole, the skin around it still needed to be removed as well as there was a 95% cha.
She needed to have 3cm of skin removed from her face and a biopsy done on her lymph nodes in order to determine whether the cancer had spread.
Although she got a large scar, her first surgery was successful. However, she soon got terrible news. The cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and was now Stage 3. She had to undergo yet another procedure.
She is now telling her story in order to raise awareness about the dangers of suspicious or rapidly changing moles. She knows that by letting people know what happened, she might possibly save a life.
