In 2010, Amanda Eilian, then 33, was leaving with her two daughters when her eldest daughter made a surprising comment about a mole.
“My 2-year-old daughter pointed to the spot on my wrist, which she had never talked about before, and said, ‘Chocolate, you have chocolate, mom,’” Eilian, partner and co -founder of Able Partners, who lives in New York City, tells TODAY.com. “It was such an unusual thing for her to say and notice.”
At her next visit to her dermatologist, Eilian asked for it to be removed. At first he sent it away, but then he reluctantly withdrew it, all the while insisting he wasn’t smart. Eilian later learned that the mole was stage 2 melanoma.
“It was a great lesson – not in the way you want to learn a lesson – to learn the importance of standing up for your own rights and taking a proactive role in your own health,” she says. “It takes a certain amount of self-confidence to keep pushing back, and frankly, I lacked that at the time, and I still have to intentionally cultivate that knowledge that I know my body better than anyone else.”
The importance of skin checks
As someone with fair hair and skin, Eilian has always been aware of the need for regular skin checks. Her grandmother and aunt suffered from melanoma, and several members of her family were diagnosed with less aggressive forms of skin cancer. While performing self-exams, she also visited a dermatologist every year. For two years, the mole on her arm worried her.
“I had noticed…a spot on my right wrist, an unusual spot, probably the darkest spot on my body,” she said. “I later learned that (mole color) was a common marker for skin cancer.”
When she first noticed the dark mole, she asked her doctor to examine it. But he told her everything was fine.
“He had rejected it and said, ‘Don’t worry about it,'” Eilian recalls.
The following year, she asked him to see him again. Once again he dismissed her. Finally, in 2010, his toddler pointed out the spot to him. This time, Eilian felt emboldened.
“He dismissed my concerns once again. I said, ‘I’m not comfortable, please take it off,'” she recalled. “After (my) push, he took it off. But as he was taking it off, I distinctly remember him saying, ‘I’m telling you right now, it’s nothing.’
The next day, he left Eilian a voicemail, telling her she had cancer.
“He was really sorry, but it was actually something,” she said.
Eilian began seeing a new doctor, who performed a biopsy to measure the depth of the melanoma. Her doctor diagnosed her with stage 2 melanoma, which was terrifying.
“It was a very, very scary thing to hear when I had two young children at home,” she says.
A hand surgeon performed surgery to remove the mole and ensure she had clear margins, which was tricky due to its location.
“There was concern that because of the amount of tissue they had to remove, I might lose some function in my hand,” says Eilian. “Thank God I never had this problem. But the operation was a bit delicate from that point of view.
Recovery went well, even though Eilian was also juggling two young children at the time. She did not need any follow-up treatment, such as chemotherapy. Still, she visits the dermatologist every three months for regular skin checks.
“I’m healthy,” she said. “I feel very lucky.”
Melanoma
Skin cancers are the most common cancer in the United States and around the world, Marc Hurlbert, Ph.D. and chief executive officer of the Melanoma Research Alliance, told TODAY.com. “In the United States alone, there are more than 2 million cases of skin cancer. »
There are three types of skin cancer:
- Basal cell carcinoma
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Melanoma
“Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas tend to stay on the surface of the skin and you can treat them surgically,” says Hurlbert. “Melanoma tends to invade the skin and can enter the blood system and lymph nodes. Melanoma is the deadliest skin cancer.
Performing skin checks, as Eilian did, can help people identify spots on their body that have changed over time.
“Knowing your skin and what moles, freckles or other lesions you have and any new bumps or red spots (is important),” says Hurlbert. “If it appears suddenly or changes over time, you should tell your doctor.”
To identify moles or bumps that could be skin cancer, experts advise remembering your ABCDEs. A location with any of these characteristics should be investigated. ABCDE means:
- A: Asymmetrical in appearance
- B: Border that appears abnormal
- VS: Color that varies depending on the mole or is red, white or even blue
- D: Diameter exceeding the size of a pencil eraser
- E: Evolving, a place that changes
You should also “watch out for the ugly duckling on your skin,” he says. “If one (place) stands out as particularly unusual…be aware of it.” For example, Eilian’s cancerous mole was much darker than other moles on her body, she notes.
Melanomas are more common in “very fair-skinned people,” who have red or blonde hair, or blue or green eyes, Hulbert says. But it happens to everyone.
“Anyone, regardless of race or ethnicity, anywhere in the world, can get melanoma,” he says. “We would really like to dispel the myth, for example, that black people or people with dark tans can’t get melanoma, because they can.”
People can reduce their risk of developing skin cancer by protecting themselves from the sun. Experts recommend:
- Wear SPF 30 sunscreen daily and reapply every two hours
- Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects against UVA and UVB rays
- Avoid outdoor activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the sun is at its peak
- Wear UV protective clothing, such as sun shirts
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat outdoors
- Sitting in the shade
“Sunburn and severe sun exposure increase your risk of melanoma later,” says Hurlbert. “It’s cumulative solar exposure. So sunburns you may have had as a child or teenager lead to a higher risk of melanoma when you are in your 40s, 50s, and 60s.
If doctors detect melanoma early, at stage 1 or 2, they can remove it surgically without additional treatment.
“Once it becomes invasive, it’s a rapidly growing cancer,” Hulbert says. “We urge people to recheck their bodies every month. »
“If you have a more advanced case of melanoma, you will have surgery and probably immunotherapy, depending on your stage and the type of melanoma you have,” says Hurlbert.
The first cancer immunotherapy was approved in 2011, and many others have been approved since, he notes. Hurlbert says these treatments have been a “game changer.”
“A diagnosis of metastatic melanoma was often a death sentence (before immunotherapy). Only about 10% of these people lived five years,” he says. “Now, thanks to immune therapies, more than 50% of them live up to five years.”
“She saved my life”
For nine months after her cancer treatment, Eilian worried about her health. She began cultivating healthy practices, such as dietary changes, exercise and meditation.
“I was very scared,” she said. “Feeling like I had some control over my own journey and my own outcomes…gave me a lot of comfort and was probably helpful in my recovery.” »
Eilian is in remission and aware of what melanoma means for her in the future.
“When you have melanoma, it is one of the risk factors for diseases like breast cancer. … My grandmother had both breast cancer and melanoma,” she says. “Overall, it made me more aware of the need to pay attention to my health. »
As an investor and entrepreneur, Eilian began investing in health and wellness companies that encourage people to be proactive about their health. Shortly after her diagnosis, Eilian joined the board of directors of the Melanoma Research Alliance. She hopes her experience will encourage others to stand up for themselves.
“While I would never say I know as much about melanoma or dermatology as a doctor, I know more about my body than anyone else,” she says. “Be persistent and have confidence in yourself and your own observations. »
Eilian’s daughters started getting skin exams at the dermatologist, and she will always be grateful to her 2-year-old for saying something about her mole.
“I have to thank my now 15-year-old daughter for identifying him,” she says. “She saved my life.”