Melissa Kultgen’s Melanoma Story

Guest blog post by Melissa Kultgen, Melanoma Survivor and Advocate:

As a cheerleader, Melissa Kultgen grew up in “toxic tan culture” and was bullied for having such pale skin.  To fit in and feel prettier, Melissa recklessly spent hours out in the sun trying to tan her skin, only to get severely burned every time.  Years later, while she was pregnant in 2017, she noticed a mole above her lip begin to rapidly change.  It grew wider and eventually became an elevated lump that hung over her lip.  It hurt.  It cracked.  It bled.  Several of her doctors told her it was “nothing to worry about” and her body was just “doing crazy things because she was pregnant.  “If it bothers you, we can remove it,” they told her.  In February 2018, two weeks after giving birth, she had the lump removed.  The surgeon thought nothing of it and sent the mass in for a biopsy “just for the sake of it.” A week later when she had her stitches removed, the surgeon told her, “I’m sorry, Hun, but you have cancer.  Melanoma.  I already called an oncologist for you.”  

Melissa’s world was catapulted into chaos, newly postpartum and diagnosed with IIC Melanoma.  In March 2018, she had a lymph node biopsy to ensure the cancer had not spread.  She also had a wide local excision on her upper lip to clear the rest of the margin and a cross flap reconstruction to repair it.  Her lips were sewn shut for four weeks for the cross flap to heal.  Then in May 2018, she began her year of immunotherapy to reduce her risk of recurrence.  She received Nivolumab one time a month until April 2019.  During that year, she underwent several more procedures to reconstruct her upper lip.  Her final reconstruction was in July 2019.  Now she has yearly checkups with her oncologist and dermatologist.

Melissa is now a 7-year Melanoma survivor and advocate.  She counts her new lip as a bittersweet blessing as it led her to share her story.  Melissa passionately encourages other women to be better advocates for themselves and to get prenatal and postpartum skin checks by a board-certified dermatologist.  She doesn’t want other new moms to experience the trauma and heartbreak that she had to.