Leed, United Kingdom--A picture of a mark on Melanie Williams' thumb has been shared over 100,000 times on Facebook and the mother has an important warning for everyone.
A seemingly innocuous thing--perhaps a fungal infection or wart, she thought-- is actually Melanoma, and she now must get half her thumb amputated But her message is not one of triumph or the pain of losing half a thumb; it is one of spreading the word. She wrote, "I want more awareness. Therefore, please go and get any changes or growths on your skin checked out, please tell people a round you to get checked as well."
She considers herself lucky, and she wants people taking charge of their health "with no excuses." She posted the picture for that purpose, stating that she wants neither sympathy nor commendation, but just for people to learn from her story. So far, her thumb selfie has done just that, with thousands of people getting her message loud and clear.
She is optimistic about how her life will go after the procedure to remove half the thumb. She even joked, "If anyone knows where I can get a mini hook attachment for my stubby thumb give me a shout!"