Paitent Stories

Kate Morgan

The Importance of Early Detection

With my fair skin I learned early that I wouldn’t get a tan in the sun, I would just burn. As a teenager and adult, I was often teased for my pale skin and my insistence on staying out of the sun. So, when I was diagnosed with melanoma, people were shocked. I wasn’t someone they thought of when they thought of sun damage and skin cancer.

In 2021, at the age of 48, I noticed a small, pale pink blemish on my upper arm. I didn’t think much of it, and as fall came, it was mostly covered up. My South African mum, however, was a regular at the skin doctor, and I saw her get skin biopsies and have the occasional basal cell carcinoma or pre-cancerous spot removed. Eventually, I decided to show my doctor, who decided to biopsy it because he didn’t know what it was.

Everyone I showed the spot to dismissed it because of its lack of colour. Melanoma never once entered the conversation, as it wasn’t a dark mole. It was a flat, pinkish blemish, about the width of my thumbnail by this point.

A few weeks later, I got a call at work from my doctor. He felt terrible doing it over the phone, but he informed me it was melanoma, and the biopsy didn’t get it all. I was booked for surgery the next day. This was January 2022.

I had a wide-margin extraction, which resulted in a 7-inch incision that went down to the muscle, 80 internal stitches, and a permanently changed musculature on my upper arm.

The cancer was stage 1A, with some ulceration. The surgeon and my doctor were both amazed (and relieved) that we’d managed to get it all with the surgery, avoiding any further invasive treatment. As part of my follow-up in British Columbia, my dermatologist chose not to do lymph node biopsies but instead, he carefully checks my lymph nodes during each visit.

I had never even thought about melanoma until my doctor told me, and then it was cut out of me the next day. I didn’t have time to react or get scared. I think my doctor and the surgeon understood the seriousness more than I did, as they were both quite serious about it and were both visibly relieved when it came back clear.

It was after surgery that the fear set in. I looked for any information I could find about what this melanoma was, as it didn’t look like what I had always seen on the warning posters. I also wanted to see how other people coped with this diagnosis and surgery and what life looked like after melanoma. Through that search, I found out about amelanotic melanoma and found Melanoma Canada. It made me feel seen and connected to others who were going through this.

I passed my two-year follow up melanoma-free, but not cancer-free. At my two-year check-up, the dermatologist removed what turned out to be a basal cell carcinoma from my neck. I remain vigilant, checking my skin regularly.

My family is so supportive and has also become much better at putting sunscreen on regularly!

My message? Yes, check-ups are important, but I was the one who found both of my cancers. If something on your skin seems weird, new or out of place, get it checked out.

Help raise awareness for melanoma and skin cancer. On Sunday, May 25th, Melanoma Canada will be hosting our annual Strides for Melanoma 5 KM walk, virtually across Canada. Your support will directly impact the lives of melanoma and skin cancer patients and help increase the awareness and prevention of this deadly disease. Register today at www.stridesformelanoma.ca.