A young woman was horrified to discover the alarming reason behind the new lumps appearing on her body daily for a week. At just 22, Kaylee Engle noticed a bump under her skin near her

breast, which she initially overlooked. However, as new lumps began to appear in different areas, she realised something was wrong. Doctors initially suspected a cyst, but a chest X-ray

revealed the grim reality – stage four melanoma [skin cancer] had spread throughout her body, including seven tumours in her brain and over 20 tumours in each lung. "I found out in the

hallway of the emergency room, after being there for nine hours, and was in shock," shared Kaylee, a nanny based in Toronto, Canada, with NeedToKnow. "There were at least 20

least 20 in each lung, plus two beside my heart, and tumours in my spine and adrenal gland. It's so widespread – it's everywhere." The diagnosis came as a profound shock to

Kaylee. She explained: "I had been feeling off for the past month or so, but it was nothing super unusual since I had just moved, gotten into a new relationship, and had a lot going on.

"I had lost 20lbs without trying, and felt nauseous and threw up a lot, and found I was getting tired easily. But it was nothing severe." The situation took a worrying turn in

June 2023 when she discovered a lump near her breast. Kaylee said: "The following week, I found another lump every day. The first two were in my right breast, then I found one above my

ribs, on my stomach and my neck – and some of my lymph nodes were swollen as well." She sought medical advice at a walk-in clinic, where her doctor initially suspected the lump to be a

cyst, scheduling an ultrasound for several months later. She said: "I was concerned and felt like it was something much worse. I did so much Googling before I ended up in the ER and was

convinced it was cancer – something in me just knew something was not right. "By the time I was diagnosed, I was already convinced I had cancer, but even so, finding out for sure was a

shock. But it felt validating that I knew something was wrong with my body. "Before, when they were finding nothing, I felt so defeated because I just knew something was wrong. At

first, when they said cyst, I thought it could be. "But with how I was feeling that past month, not quite like myself, I was more concerned, especially with finding more and more lumps

each day and feeling worse and worse." However, Kaylee's situation took a turn for the worse the very next day after she had visited the walk-in clinic, her condition marked by

increased vomiting, prompting her to go to hospital. A subsequent scan revealed she had cancer. She embarked on immunotherapy but had to pause when she developed autoimmune hepatitis in her

liver. Despite being diagnosed with stage four cancer and the disease spreading throughout her body, doctors are hopeful about her treatment avenues; her condition is serious but not deemed

terminal. As of May 2025, Kaylee is amid another cycle of therapeutic intervention, having received radiation to combat brain tumours, and her health status is currently described as stable.

Before this health crisis struck, Kaylee was the picture of wellness, save for benign moles which were removed periodically due to concerns of possible progression to melanoma. The young

woman shared, "This has quite literally turned my entire life upside down in every single way possible. I was unable to work for the first year after diagnosis, and with everything

still so demanding and changing constantly, it's quite hard to work even part-time. "It has affected my relationships, my financial status, my mental health." Kaylee now

confronts the reality of potentially undergoing treatments indefinitely. She added: "I likely may never be cancer-free, but even just being stable is amazing news. There are so many

more melanoma treatments coming out now, which is incredible, and there are a couple of trials that I may qualify for coming up soon. "I will try anything to let me live a full life.

But I'm just enjoying every day as much as I can and I have a lot of hope for the future, whether that be treatment ongoing, or becoming cancer free, which is the ideal goal for me –

and which I know I can achieve eventually." Now dedicating her time to raising awareness on TikTok, she boasts over 10,000 followers with videos that have reached millions. Kaylee

added: "It's important for me [to share my story online] because I want to spread awareness for melanoma and also just advocate for ourselves in the medical system. "I have

had to quickly learn to advocate for myself, and I want to empower other people to know that they can do the same. We know our bodies best and should be listened to. "Alongside

encouraging people to take care of their skin through wearing SPF, being mindful of sunburns, steering clear of indoor tanning, and doing annual skin checks as well as seeking medical advice

when something seems amiss. Early detection for skin cancer saves lives and even though my diagnosis was at stage four, it doesn't have to be that way for others."