A woman who had stage four skin cancer when she was 29 years old has revealed the unusual symptoms she experienced before being diagnosed.
Courtney Mangan’s life took a dramatic turn when, at just 29 years old, she was diagnosed with stage four melanoma.
Mangan had an 18 percent chance of survival after a mole on her back - dismissed as non-threatening by two general practitioners - was finally flagged as severe by a skin specialist.
“It was already too late,” she said of her first skin check at age 29.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mangan recounted the turning point: “I had a mole on my back that I never really saw - but my family told me it started to change and urged me to see a doctor.”
The specialist conducted a full-body examination and initially found nothing unusual, but Mangan insisted the mole be examined further. A biopsy revealed the mole was a stage four melanoma.
“I immediately went numb,” she said. “My uncle had died from melanoma just a few years prior. My whole world changed in that moment. I couldn't think of it as anything other than a death sentence.”
After the initial diagnosis, Mangan began attending quarterly checkups, during which the mole was removed from her shoulder.
However, over a year later, she discovered a lump on her arm, initially mistaking it for a boil. She also experienced unexplained pain while eating, attributing it to her irritable bowel syndrome.
Further testing revealed unsettling news.
A PET scan showed unusual activity in her bowel, and an endoscopy confirmed a concerning mass.
“I was alone, all night, in my hospital room,” she recalled. “At 5:30 the next morning, the doctor came in and told me the cancer had spread to my internal organs and was now at a stage four.”
Describing her diagnosis as “pretty scary,” Mangan braced herself for surgeries and treatments.
Despite the odds, she remained resilient and underwent regular checkups.
One particularly jarring discovery was a mass in her thigh. Doctors decided against removing it, opting for treatment to avoid complications elsewhere in her body.
“It was so weird to know that I was just going about my day but there was cancer in my thigh, festering and spreading,” she said.
The stress of her condition left her feeling like she was trapped in a never-ending cycle of doctor visits and tests.
“I overthought every ache and pain I had,” she admitted. “I was so hyper-aware of my body and thinking about it constantly.”
Mangan also revealed how the constant health concerns left her feeling as though she could “only breathe for three months at a time,” saying she lived in fear of a reoccurrence.
“Melanoma is so aggressive - it can just keep coming back,” she explained, crediting her friends and family with supporting her through her darkest moments.
“As a single woman, having a close relationship with my friends and family was so important. They really helped me through my darkest days.”
Before starting treatment, Mangan decided to freeze her eggs after consulting with her oncologist.
“I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to delay the process of immunotherapy to freeze my eggs,” she said.
While fertility wasn’t her initial focus, she ultimately took steps to preserve her options.
Now 38 and cancer-free for three years, Mangan reflects on her nine-year battle with melanoma.
“You can never really shake it,” she admitted. “There’s a dark cloud hanging over you all the time.”
We wish Mangan all the best in the future!
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