Elaine Sheaf was 62 years old and had a hole in her cheek when she decided to show her face without filters.
It all started in 1995, with a mole the size of a pea. Doctors told her there was nothing to worry about. For almost 20 years, no one looked at it again, not even her, until an old friend pointed out in 2013 that it had grown. It was nearly an inch across, with irregular edges. The diagnosis was melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
There followed 15 operations. Every time she seemed to be getting better, another black spot appeared, and surgeons had to cut deeper, until they shaved down part of her cheekbone. She had skin grafts from behind her ears, her thighs, her shoulders, and even her eyelids. Her face was left with prominent scars and an indentation in her right cheek. Later, a scan revealed two tumors in her lungs.
When she was young, she spent an hour at a time in tanning beds, sometimes several times a day. She and her husband, Jeff, believe that was the cause, though they can’t be sure.
