A man who had long ignored a spot on his body, assuming it was a harmless birthmark, was eventually diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.
Jonathan Muggleton, hailing from the UK, first noticed what he believed to be a mere ‘birthmark’ during his teenage years, located in a sensitive area of his body.
Now 49 years old, Jonathan recounted to The Mirror that this mark was ‘about the size of a small fingernail’ and had been present on his groin ‘forever’.
However, around five years ago, the mark began to change in texture and appearance. While initially given a cream, Jonathan returned to the doctors months later and was subsequently referred for a biopsy.
As a father of two, Jonathan had a feeling it might be serious. He shared with The Independent, “In the back of my mind, I feared the worst and hoped for the best.”
Jonathan was eventually diagnosed with mucosal melanoma, an exceptionally rare cancer, while his wife Rebecca waited outside in the car due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“We just sat in the car. I couldn’t speak. It was not a very nice five minutes,” he remembered.
The Melanoma Research Alliance notes that this type of cancer represents only one percent of all melanoma cases, with approximately 1,200 new cases diagnosed annually in the US.
The Cleveland Clinic describes it as a ‘rare’ and ‘aggressive’ cancer that originates in the moist mucous membrane areas of the body, such as the nose, lips, mouth, anus, rectum, vagina, and vulva.
Unfortunately, the prognosis is poor, as many patients develop incurable metastatic disease, with a five-year survival rate of just 14 percent, according to Cancer Center researchers.
Over the past five years, Jonathan has undergone numerous pioneering surgeries, immunotherapy treatments, and clinical trials in attempts to curb the melanoma’s progression.
Unfortunately, the cancer spread from its primary location to his groin lymph nodes.
In September 2023, Jonathan underwent another surgery to remove a tumor beneath his lung, marking the first procedure of its kind in the UK and featuring in a Channel 4 documentary, Super Surgeons: A Chance at Life.
Amidst the frequent surgeries, Jonathan has made efforts to return to ‘normal life’ with his family, engaging in activities with his children, Charlie and Amelia, and maintaining his passion for cycling to stay fit.
He expressed, “You either go into a very dark place and deal with it on your own, which I’ve seen friends do. But for me, I wanted to be open.
“Initially, it was very unfair, but then I moved to the point where I started to appreciate what I’ve got and focused on the things that really matter.”
His wife has now started a new GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for a ‘transformative’ tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) treatment, currently unavailable on the NHS, that would require Jonathan to travel to the US.
The treatment is priced at £350,000 (about $472,000), which his family believes could be ‘life-saving’.
Until the TILs treatment is an option, Jonathan admits he finds it difficult to look forward to the future, especially after being told by doctors to ‘get his affairs in order’ last summer due to the failure of his immunotherapy treatment, which left him with an estimated six months to live. However, recent scans indicate that his condition has currently stabilized.
“Life carries on,” he said. “But in the back of my mind, I’m living three months at a time. I’m waiting for the next clear scan, so I can’t really plan beyond that.”
Interested parties can contribute to Jonathan’s fundraiser here.
If you’re affected by this issue and wish to speak to someone confidentially, the American Cancer Society provides support at 1-800-227-2345 or through their 24/7 live chat service.