A Perfect Stranger Saved Her Life by Warning Her about Her Cancerous Mole

So many of us have been touched by the kindness of strangers.

In Melissa Albin’s case, the stranger actually saved her life by warning her about a mole she had been taking for granted.

The incident happened in a park where Melissa had taken her two daughters.

“It was a warm day, I was wearing a tank top. And I was watching them over on the playground and I had my arms up on the stroller and I noticed a woman off to the side who kept looking at me,” recounted Melissa.

She was wondering why the stranger kept on looking at her, and then she saw her walking toward where she was seated.

“She approached me and she said I am really sorry if this is odd, but I want to let you know I am a dermatologist and I have been looking at that mole on your arm and it’s really alarming to me,” Melissa told Cleveland Clinic where she later sought treatment.

Melissa admitted that her physician had already warned her about the mole, but she did not pay attention to the medical advice until that afternoon encounter between her and a stranger.

“I thought it looked very suspicious and so I did a biopsy of it and that biopsy turned out to be melanoma,” revealed Dr. Philip Bernard, a specialist in family medicine for Cleveland Clinic.

The truth shocked Malissa, who thought that it was just another mole that usually grows on a person’s body.

“The depth of the mole was less than a millimeter, so if she had waited until it got to a millimeter, her survival from that would have been significantly less,” Dr. Bernard further explained.

Melissa quickly had the mole removed, and she is now enjoying life more but with proper caution.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, melanoma is not as common as basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) but it is more dangerous. Melanoma is quick in spreading to other organs if it does not receive early treatment.

Based on Mayo Clinic’s advice, these are the steps you can take to prevent melanoma:

1. Avoid the sun during mid-day.
2. Always wear sunscreen.
3. Avoid tanning beds and lamps.
4. Always wear clothing that protects you from the sun.
5. Get familiar with your skin so it will be easy for you to notice growths and other changes.

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