Melanoma: A Skin Cancer That Does Not Always Need the Sun 

It looked like a small blemish. A heart-shaped mole on her left cheek. Pink and slightly raised above the skin. 

Sometimes it was itchy, a little like a deep pimple. And it hurt when someone touched it—similar to other bumps common to 10-year-olds. 

Alice Haughaboo’s dermatologist assured her it was just a mole and nothing to worry about. The doctor would shave it off, and it would go away. But, to be safe, they would send it away for a biopsy. 

A month later, the doctor called to say it looked like melanoma, a type of skin cancer. The doctor sent the sample to another lab for more testing. That lab said it was likely benign (not cancer). 

A plastic surgeon removed more tissue and sent it away for yet another biopsy. Four days later, the surgeon called with an update. Alice’s mole was malignant melanoma.  

Pediatric melanoma is a type of skin cancer that is rare in children. It does not always happen because of sun exposure, though the sun can still play a role. Alice’s melanoma was not caused by the sun. When he thinks back on it, her father, Patrick sighs. 

“It was just bad luck.” 

Alice’s doctor referred her to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. At first, Alice was scared. She had many questions. 

“But I got comfortable quickly,” Alice recalls. “I feel like I adapted. And I like St. Jude a lot. It is a really nice hospital.” 

Alice has had many surgeries, chemotherapy, and other medical procedures. Her journey has not been easy.  

“People tend to say to me, ’It is good that you got the good kind of cancer.’ They do not realize how dangerous melanoma is. It can spread all over your body,” she says. 

Somedays, it feels like a fight just to keep Alice’s melanoma contained within her cheek. But she remains confident, courageous, and strong. 

And her advice to others going through something similar? 

“There is not really much you can do to control the situation,” she says calmly. “So, you have to keep trying to push through. Just get through things one day at a time.”