High School Wrestler Diagnosed With Melanoma After Symptoms Suspected To Be Puberty; Now Living Dream College Life

Recounting to TODAY.com how a spot on his back, which had been changing throughout the years, was brought to attention while he was getting checked for ringworm, a common skin infection among wrestlers—he was advised to see a dermatologist for the questionable mole.

Melanoma: Overview 

He recalled a referee questioning what the spot was on his back, noting, “They were like, ‘Well, we’ll let you wrestle this time, but you have to get it checked out,'” despite Gee telling them it was something he’s had since he was a young boy.

To Gee’s surprise, a biopsy confirmed the mole was in fact cancerous, specifically stage 3 melanoma.

As for how the spot had changed throughout the years, he said, “It almost looked like it was drying out. I had the mole ever since I was young, but over the years it gradually (became) raised.”

In the weeks leading up to his diagnosis, he also noted a swollen area in his upper right leg which he suspected could be a groin hernia, but his doctor said it was potentially a “swollen lymph node … just from puberty.”

However, when he learned he had melanoma, he was informed the swelling in his led was because the cancer had spread. He would then need immunotherapy and then MOHs surgery, a procedure to treat skin cancer.

He underwent immunotherapy treatment, then had the melanoma and affected lymph nodes removed in January 2021, before having more rounds of immunotherapy, and beating the disease.

Gee previously informed MD Anderson Cancer Center that he ultimately had several lymph nodes removed and underwent several rounds of immunotherapy.

WATCH: How Immunotherapy Helps Fight Melanoma

Immunotherapy involves reengineering your immune cells to target the cancer cells from within to kill them.

The type of drugs Gee took during his treatment were ipilimumab (a monoclonal antibody drug sold under the brand name Yervoy) and nivolumab ( an immunotherapy drug sold underthe brand name Opdivo).

Hi mom Ashley Gee told the cancer center, “I remember one of his doctors saying that 10 years ago this was a death sentence, but now with immunotherapy, it was something that could be cured.

RELATED: ‘A Game Changer’: New Combination Immunotherapy for Advanced Melanoma Offers More Options For Patients

“That gave me hope throughout his treatment. I always hung onto those words.”

Thankfully, her son was declared “cancer-free” just months after his diagnosis in 2021. However, he still goes for routine checkups throughout each year.

Immunotherapy drugs like (generic name: pembrolizumab) (brand name: Keytruda) and (generic name: nivolumab) (brand name: Opdivo) can help some people with melanoma cancer live longer.

Combining immunotherapy drugs might also extend survival. However, your doctor can best determine which treatment is right for you.

Additionally, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a vaccine for people whose melanoma has spread and can’t be removed with surgery. Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is a modified herpes virus that kills cancer cells when doctors inject it directly into the cancer.

With all the advancements in cancer treatment throughout the years, Gee told MD Anderson Cancer Center, “I have so much hope that we’re close to the cure now.

“Not long ago, you had three main treatment methods: cut, kill, burn. But now with immunotherapy, we’re teaching the body to fight cancer itself.”

He concluded, “That’s why we must continue to dive deeper through research because the treatments are going to keep getting better.”

Now, Gee, who always remembers to wear sunscreen after beating skin cancer, has admitted his melanoma journey offered him a “new perspective on life.”

“It’s very important that we take care of ourselves, and I think a lot of young people neglect that,” he told TODAY.com

Learning More About Melanoma

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer. It starts in the same cells that give your skin, hair, and eyes their color. In melanoma, the cells change in a way that allows them to spread to other organs.

Changes to a mole you’ve had for a while or a new growth on your skin could be signs of melanoma, according to SurvivorNet’s experts. You’ll want to watch them and tell your doctor about any changes you notice.

WATCH: How do you perform a skin check using the ABCDEs?

You’re most likely to find melanoma on sun-exposed skin areas like your face, neck, arms, and legs. Surprisingly, you might also find them in other places as well, like:

• The palms of your hands or soles of your feet
• On your eyes or mouth
• Under your nails

RELATED: Speaking Out After Skin Cancer Surgery: ‘Summer House’ Star Ashley Wirkus ‘Always Wore Sunscreen’ Says it Still Wasn’t Enough

SurvivorNet experts recommend avoiding unprotected sun exposure because ultraviolet (UV) radiation can lead to melanoma. Tanning beds pose ultraviolet radiation risks for skin cancer and should be avoided. Many dermatologists recommend using spray tans to reduce the risk of melanoma skin cancer.

What Are the Symptoms of Melanoma?

The most important thing to look out for when it comes to finding melanoma is a new spot on your skin or a spot that is changing in size, shape, or color, SurvivorNet’s medical experts say.

When you check your skin, use the acronym ABCDE as your guide:

• Asymmetrical moles: If you drew a line straight down the center of the mole, would the sides match?
• Borders: Is the mole irregular or jagged?
• Colors: Are there multiple distinct colors in the mole?
• Diameter: Is the mole larger than 6 millimeters (mm), about the size of a pencil head eraser?
• Evolution: Has the mole’s color, shape, or size changed over time?

RELATED: The Genetic Mutation That Drives Many Metastatic Melanomas

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, our experts say it’s time to see your dermatologist for a skin check.

Melanoma Treatment Options

Melanoma treatment has come a long way. Survival rates have risen dramatically, thanks to a “treatment revolution,” say SurvivorNet’s experts. With breakthrough treatments like targeted therapy and immunotherapy now available, people who are diagnosed today have a much better chance of living a long and healthy life than ever before.

If you’re diagnosed with melanoma, there’s a good chance surgery is going to be the treatment your doctor recommends. In the early stages of the disease, removing the cancer should lead to a cure. The question is typically not whether you’ll get surgery, but which kind you’ll have.

WATCH: Dermatologic Surgeon Dr. Nima Gharavi, On The “Gold Standard Treatment” For Melanoma

For an early-stage melanoma that is close to the skin surface, Mohs surgery might be an option. This technique removes skin cancer, layer by layer, until all the cancer is gone.

In general, stage I melanoma surgery consists of the simple, in-office removal of the cancerous cells by a dermatologist. If the cancer is thicker, your surgeon will remove it through a technique called wide excision surgery.

The removal of stage II and III melanomas are performed by surgeons or surgical oncologists, not dermatologists. You may also have a sentinel lymph node biopsy to see if the melanoma has spread to the first lymph node where it’s most likely to travel. If your cancer has reached this first lymph node, it may have spread to other neighboring lymph nodes, and possibly to other organs. Where the cancer is will dictate your treatment.

After surgery, the removed tissue and lymph nodes will go to a specialist called a pathologist, who will measure the melanoma and find out if it has clear margins. Having clear margins means the cells around the area of tissue that was removed don’t contain any melanoma. When there aren’t any cancer cells left around the removed area, your cancer is less likely to come back.

Once your cancer spreads, treatment gets a little more complicated, but there are still ways to stop it. New treatments have vastly improved the outlook for people with metastatic, or stage IV, melanoma.

Targeted drugs and immunotherapy have been shown to be more effective than chemotherapy. So, with many more choices, there is no standard treatment. Treatment will vary based on your condition and whether there is recurrent disease.

Research has found that immunotherapy drugs such as Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and Opdivo (nivolumab) helped some people live longer. Combining immunotherapy drugs Yervoy (ipilimumab) and Opdivo (nivolumab) has also extended survival. Opdivo (nivolumab) + relatlimab is a new therapy option added to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines in 2022.  The combination of two immunotherapies is called Opdualag.

For those with the BRAF mutation, targeted drugs which shrink or slow the tumor can be a good option. This could include a combination of drugs, such as:

• Zelboraf (vemurafenib) and Cotellic (cobimetinib)
• Braftovi (encorafenib) and Mektovi (binimetinib)
• Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib)
• Zelboraf (vemurafenib) and Cotellic (cobimetinib) can also be combined with atezolizumab.

“Every patient is different and every situation is different,” says Dr. Anna Pavlick, medical oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine. She emphasized that “there is no cookie-cutter recipe,” for treating stage IV melanoma.

There Is No “Cookie Cutter Recipe” for Treating Stage Four Melanoma

Dr. Pavlick also notes the importance of personalized care and treatment. “It really is a matter of looking at the tools we have so that we can pick the right tools to give the patient the best outcome.”

So, while there is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating metastatic melanoma, your doctor will work with you to develop a treatment plan that is tailored to your individual situation. Advances in research and technology are making the fight against metastatic melanoma more hopeful than ever.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you are diagnosed with skin cancer, you may have some questions for your doctor. SurvivorNet suggests some of the following to help you on your cancer journey.

• What type of skin cancer do I have?
• What treatment options exist for my type of melanoma?
• Will insurance cover this treatment?
• Would treatment through a clinical trial make sense for me?
• What resources exist to help manage my anxiety because of this diagnosis?

WATCH: Clinical trials can be life-saving

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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