A Cool Streak or Something More?
Twenty-five-year-old Maria Sylvia had lived with what she considered a “cool” brown stripe behind her fingernail for the last 10 years. She discovered through a widely shared TikTok video that this so-called “cool streak” was actually a reason for alarm.
Discovery Through TikTok
Maria first spotted the strange mark on her thumb when she was sixteen. Thinking it was just a mole on her nail bed, she carried on with her life, unaware of its danger. Nine years later, she was shocked to learn that she had subungual melanoma, a rare type of skin cancer developing under the nails.
Sharing the News
Devastated by the news, Maria didn’t keep it to herself. In a TikTok video, she opened up about her new reality, swiftly racking up over nineteen million views in just two weeks. Her story has increased awareness of subungual melanoma.
“Me: Thought it was a cool streak in my nail, but I’ve had it for ten years,” Maria captioned her TikTok video. “Cancer is the cause.”
The Journey Back in Time
In her videos, Maria took fans back to December 2012, when she first noticed the thin line on her thumbnail. Over time, the streak darkened, becoming a silent warning sign of cancer.
“I had visited with physicians and spent a lot of time in and out of doctors’ offices,” she said. “I was an athlete, so I was getting physicals every year.”
Medical Oversight
However, doctors often failed to see the bigger picture. Not until 2014 did a doctor notice the streak and suggest it was odd but advised her to monitor it for growth. By then, it had likely reached its maximum growth.
Maria ignored the streak because it didn’t hurt and she thought it was just a mole. Luckily, a worried friend encouraged her to get a biopsy. The outcome? Cancer. Fortunately, it was stage 0, meaning it hadn’t penetrated below the skin’s surface.
A Sobering Reminder
“I was told this cancer can stay in situ (stage 0) for 10–13 years before hitting stage 1,” Maria recalled telling Newsweek. She was grateful for the timely diagnosis but knew more needed to be done to eradicate the cancer.
Raising Awareness
Maria is now on a quest to raise awareness and advises people to get checked for cancer. “I think some people are afraid to confront the possibility of having cancer and facing their mortality,” she told Newsweek.
Her advice is clear: “Relax and go ahead and visit someone. It is quite treatable if detected early, and having a crooked thumb for a month or two is preferable to none at all.”
Conclusion
Maria Sylvia’s experience is a sobering reminder to be vigilant. Her journey from believing she had a peculiar streak to confronting the reality of skin cancer serves as a warning to everyone to pay attention to their bodies and seek medical attention when something feels strange. Sometimes, it’s a sign rather than just a streak.