When 34-year-old Sarah Mitchell from Oregon first noticed a tiny mole on her shoulder, she didn’t think much of it.

It looked like any other mole—small, round, and brown. She had dozens of them scattered across her body, most of which she had lived with since her teenage years.

But this one, though seemingly harmless, would soon unravel a terrifying truth that would require 77 stitches and a life-changing diagnosis.

The Mole That Seemed Harmless
Sarah, a marketing executive and mother of two, led a busy life. Like many others, she rarely had time to slow down and pay attention to every small change in her body. The mole had appeared about a year earlier and didn’t cause her any pain. It was flat and only slightly darker than her skin tone. She remembered thinking, “It’s probably just another sun spot.”

But over the following months, subtle changes started to occur. The mole became slightly raised, its edges turned irregular, and she noticed it began to itch from time to time. Still, she brushed it off as a minor skin irritation caused by her clothes rubbing against it.