Catrina Arnold, Stage I

My hope is that my story will help someone else on this melanoma journey.

In 2022, I noticed a red spot on my left cheek. It resembled a mosquito bite or maybe even a pimple. I passed it off as just that. It started scabbing up and would ooze at times. I went to my dermatologist at the end of 2022 and she didn’t seem to think it was anything to worry about and we decided to keep a watch on it.
I went back to her in February 2023 and again I brought that spot to her attention. She seemed to think that it might be just a cyst so she decided to send me to a dermatological surgeon at UAB. He, too, wasn’t concerned. He said that we could do one of three things do nothing and watch it, excise it as if it were a cyst, or biopsy it. We decided at that point to biopsy it. I really thought nothing of it to be honest. On Wednesday March 22, 2023, I got a call from the surgeon. He said, “Mrs. Arnold, I am so sorry but it’s melanoma.” He referred me to a head and neck surgeon.

On April 20, 2023, I had to have a Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy and a wide local excision. They removed 3 lymph nodes and the cancer. I went home with a drain in my neck and they packed my cheek to wait on the path report. Thankfully, it had not spread to the lymph nodes and the margins were clear. I had to have reconstruction surgery of the left cheek on May 4, 2023. I continued to see my regular dermatologist every 3 months for the first year. I had to have a MOHS surgery procedure on March 6, 2024 for a squamous cell carcinoma on my right cheek. The margins came back clear.

I was diagnosed with a Stage 0 melanoma in situ in December 2024. I had a slow MOHS procedure done on 12/11/2024. The margins was not clear when the path report came back so I had to have another slow MOHS procedure done on 1/2/2025. Thankfully, the margins came back clear and they then removed the remaining tumor and sutured me back up on 1/13/2025. I, also, went through genetic testing to see if I carried the mutation for melanoma and I do not. I am now back seeing the dermatologist every three months.

After a melanoma diagnosis, it is such an ongoing emotional and mental battle. But, God has been my strength. Without Him and my supportive family, I couldn’t continue this journey. Everyday is a blessing.

Catrina Arnold
Melanoma Stage I Survivor
Date of Diagnosis: 03/28/2023
Jack, Alabama