At just 22 years old, Kaylee Engle’s world shifted dramatically when doctors diagnosed her with about 18 tumors leading to stage 4 melanoma, reports ITREALMS.
By the time she sought medical help, the diagnosis was devastating— her body was filled with tumors, which medics say was over 18, including seven in her brain, and others in her lungs, liver, heart, spine, lymph nodes, and adrenal glands.
Despite the grim outlook, Engle refused to give up. Doctors immediately started her on chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and though the journey was grueling, the cancer eventually stabilized. Two years after her diagnosis, she is defying expectations.
Engle now uses her experience to raise awareness about early detection. She warns others not to ignore unusual symptoms, as melanoma—often linked to excessive sun exposure—can be aggressive yet treatable if caught early.
Her story serves as a powerful reminder that stage 4 cancer does not always mean terminal, and with medical advancements, survival is more possible than ever.
According to the United States-based Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, the localized melanoma, that is cancer confined to the skin is over 99% with 5-year relative survival rate.
The regional melanoma, which spread to nearby lymph nodes or structures is about 75% with 5-year relative survival rate.
While distant melanoma, which cancer has spread to distant organs like the lungs or liver is about 35% with 5-year relative survival rate.
In over all, the survival rate across all stages is 94 per cent.
Remmy Nweke and Ifeoma Nweke/DoP
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