Survivor Stories

Amelia Harris

Amelia had a “wart-like” bump on her lower leg. I took her to her pediatrician three times before he referred her to a dermatologist. The bump was sent for biopsy. We were then told it was a “high-risk mole” and there wasn’t any rush to get it completely removed. We decided to do it as soon as possible. The surgeon removed it and sent the remainder to be biopsied further. It came back as melanoma but it needed wider margins so more skin was removed. We were invited to a pediatric melanoma clinical trial at St. Judes. It was there that another mole was found in the same area as before. Amelia had to have a total of 30% of her skin removed after that surgery and a skin graft put on it. Once healed, the graft was removed and has been clear ever since. She is now 6, will be 7 this year. She has really embraced and enjoyed being able to do “normal kid stuff” Amelia loves riding her skateboard, being at school, and playing with other kids! She wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up! She goes every three months to the dermatologist for skin checks and as of right now, goes every six months for scans and sees her oncologist.

Age 2
Date of Diagnosis: 01/26/2016
Braselton, Georgia
Pediatric Melanoma