I Thought I Had a Mosquito Bite. It Was Actually Melanoma

As a healthy 40-year-old, I never expected to be in this position.

September 6, 2024

A photo of CJ Weiss in an Orange Theory shirt and another photo of him with his husband.

CJ Weiss, 45, of Canal Winchester, Ohio, thought the red bump on his thigh was harmless—until it started to grow. It turned out that he actually had melanoma, the most rare and dangerous type of skin cancer. Here’s his story, as told to senior health writer Katie Camero.

In the summer of 2019, I noticed a spot on the outer side of my thigh. I thought it was a mosquito bite at first—nothing too unusual for that time of year. It was a little itchy and red, but I really didn’t think anything of it. As time went on, though, it started to turn a bit brown on the top, at which point I imagined it might be some sort of ugly mole.

But this “mosquito bite” started to grow in a way that a normal insect bite never does. It got larger over the course of three months, and by the time I started to become really concerned, the spot was probably about a half-inch around and protruded from my skin. Then it started bleeding; I knew at that moment that I needed to see a dermatologist ASAP.

The doctors didn’t seem too alarmed, but I could tell that they were intrigued. They removed the mole and sent it off for a biopsy. My husband and I were actually getting ready to leave for Spain the next week, but those plans quickly changed after I got a call from the oncology office about three days after my appointment. I had melanoma, and they said I needed surgery immediately. The person on the phone said they were going to schedule the procedure the following week, but when I told them that I would be on vacation, their exact words were, “Honey, you don’t want this to wait because you might not survive if you go on this trip.”

At that point, I started to panic and get emotional because I didn’t think it was that serious. I had never experienced any kind of cancer; I had never even needed to see a dermatologist before. Well, further testing showed that my cancer had spread so quickly that, while I was ignoring that “mosquito bite,” it had already spread to a lymph node in my groin. We canceled our trip and I went into emergency surgery, which left me with a six-inch scar on my leg.

Over the next four years, I received infusion therapy (which consists of medications given via IV that help the immune system recognize and fight cancer cells), ultrasounds, and CT scans to make sure the cancer didn’t come back or spread to other organs. Thankfully, I remained cancer-free and still am to this day, but I have to monitor my skin and be mindful for the rest of my life.

CJ Weiss with his husband and son.

Courtesy of CJ Weiss

My oncologists had asked me if I was out in the sun a lot when I was young, and I was always that shirtless little boy cutting the grass or playing out in the woods. And although some types of sunscreens existed when I was a kid, people didn’t really know it could dramatically reduce your risk of skin cancer, so I didn’t use it much. As a 40-year-old healthy person, I didn’t think that some bump on my leg could take me out permanently. I started thinking about mortality, my family, the what-ifs. Like, what if it comes back? What if the cancer moves to my heart or my lungs? When I was in surgery, my family came to town, and all of those heightened emotions made me wonder if I could have prevented this. Was this my fault?

For anybody who’s scared and going through the same thing I did: Stay tough and protect your mental health. And for those of you out there thinking, “It could never happen to me,” well, that was my attitude too. I would recommend that you do whatever you can to minimize your risk of skin cancer, but at the end of the day, if you see something that looks abnormal, it’s in your best interest to tell your doctor. It’s also a good idea to check your loved ones because skin cancer can develop in areas you can’t really see yourself. Since my diagnosis, my father has had melanoma on his back removed, and my sister, who’s 16 months older than me, also had a spot removed. And perhaps most importantly, don’t forget to wear sunscreen and apply it to your little ones. My son is now five years old, and I’m careful to cover him up and put sunscreen on his skin when we’re outside.

Above all, my journey taught me that skin cancer doesn’t discriminate. Most people probably don't think of skin cancer as dangerous or something that might happen to them, but it’s actually the most common type of cancer in the US—it can impact anyone.