Emily Brown
An Ohio mom has credited a manicure with helping to save her life after she noticed an unusual detail on her thumbnail that didn't go away.
Like millions of people across the globe, Michelle Tagliamonte, from Centreville, Ohio, has a habit of getting her nails done every few weeks.
The frequent manicures mean Michelle doesn't often see her nails in their natural state, but last September she noticed a strange detail on one of her thumbnails.
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She explained: "I usually get my nails done every four weeks so I don't know how long it has been there but my nails grow pretty quickly because I have really good nutrition.
"It could have been in there for six months, it could have been in there for longer, I have no idea."
The mark on Michelle's nails came in the form of some black lines, which the mom took pictures of so she had a record of them.
She continued: "I then saw them again in October [when I got my nails done again] and the lines hadn't grown out. The lines were continuing to come from the base of the nail so I thought I should get it checked out."
Michelle visited her dermatologist and underwent a biopsy as a precaution, but she was left shocked when, around Thanksgiving, she learned the black marks were a symptom of melanoma.
She recalled: "What the dermatologist was seeing was discoloration at the base of my thumb nail and whatever was causing this black line in my nail was coming from inside the growth plate down from inside my nail. They said they would have to remove my thumb nail. I had no idea about this so I freaked out.
"I was very confident it was nothing so when I got the diagnosis I was very shocked it was melanoma."
After being diagnosed with stage zero melanoma - when the cancer cells only lie in the top layer of the skin - Michelle underwent a four-hour operation and skin graft on January 17 to have the cancer removed.
She was left with a large incision and stitches running down the side of her hand, and will go without a thumbnail on her right hand for the rest of her life.
"The melanoma was in the growth plate [in my thumb] down to my first knuckle," Michelle explained.
"This is where they had to cut out and they had to create a skin graft so when they had to dig out the melanoma, the bone and the tendon was exposed so they had to put some flesh back in it.
"The skin graft was pretty invasive. I will never have a thumb nail ever again but if I had let it go, I might have lost the tip of my thumb or worse so I am very grateful and it is healing well."
In the wake of her ordeal, Michelle believes getting her nails painted saved her life as it allowed her to catch the cancer at its earliest stage. She's now sharing her story as a warning to others to stay vigilant.
"The nail appointment absolutely saved my life. I am glad that I noticed it and then I pursued to get it checked out," she said.
"I am very grateful that I caught it at stage zero and it was localized. I think it's just a matter of being diligent to get myself checked out," Michelle continued.
"I would just say don't take anything for granted. I would definitely say that if you see something that is odd or different, listen to your own intuition and get it checked out.
"If I was afraid to get my nail checked out and removed, Lord only knows what the future could hold."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.