The horror of humans as an ingrown hair turns out to be an incurable cancer

One young man was shocked to discover that what he believed to be an ingrown hair was cancer.

Michael Croteau quickly decided to reject a red ball on his leg, considered a relatively mild and temporary medical problem.

Despite a contraction sensation in her right knee and quad muscles, it was only three months later – with the mbad still growing – that the nursing student became concerned.

When she was infected in April 2018, Susan Williams, Michael's mother, had recommended her to visit a dermatologist.

The 21-year-old said: "I noticed a lump on the outside of my right thigh in September. I could feel it under the skin, I had the impression that there was pressure.

"It started to change color and I started to think that it was an ingrown hair.

"I never had one, but I did not really know what it could be.

"I searched, but there did not seem to be any hair.

"He became high and started to look infected. My mother suggested that we would have it examined. "

When the Texan went to his first appointment at the dermatologist in March, the doctor immediately suggested that it was a cancer.

"We really wanted a second opinion," said Michael.

"The second dermatologist referred us to Dallas, where they have a sarcoma specialist. I had an MRI and CT scan.

"In Dallas, they told me what kind of cancer it was. They said that it was rare and that there were fewer than 100 cases in the United States.

"It was a real shock. Cancer has never affected me.

"It was something I would never have thought of happening, especially at this age.

"It scared me."

Michael was scared when doctors began to explore the possibility of amputation, but the operation was finally dismissed by an orthopedic surgeon.

Doctors at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston decided to treat Michael's tumors with an experimental oral chemotherapy drug and the student had radiation therapy on that thigh to manage the pain.

While Michael's cancer is currently incurable, the goal of his chemotherapy treatment was to curb the growth of his tumors.

Michael said, "Sarcoma usually has slow growth and there was a small risk that it spread like wildfire. It's not very aggressive.

"Usually, he does not respond very well to chemotherapy or radiation.

"But the options that were presented to me were the amputation of the hip, or simply monitor it and hope it does not grow and spread. There is no cure.

"We chose this option."

Susan, Michael's mother, said that his son's lack of cancer research had been devastating because his family had no idea of ​​the course of his illness.

Susan said: "Right now, Michael is receiving palliative care.It is absolutely devastating to hear that there is no treatment for your 20 year old son who just finished high school.

"We do not know how long he has, it could be a month or six years.

"Currently, they are watching the spots on his lungs, but he will always be living with cancer, which is the hardest part for our family.

"Because of its rarity, there is not much research on the subject, so it's a waiting game for us.

"Right now, the goal is to give Michael the best quality of life he can have."

More than a year after his diagnosis, Michael is relieved that his tumor is not growing, but he is worried about the future.

His doctors also noticed two small spots on his lungs, which are currently too small for a biopsy.

Michael said, "The goal is to lead a normal life as long as possible.

"My tumors stayed the same. They did not become smaller, but they were not bigger either.

"It's so hard to say what's going to happen because there's not a lot of research on my type of cancer.

"They do not know how it will develop in the future.

"It's a scary thought because impossible to plan.

"I try not to think about it and live every day as best as I can. But there is always this big "and if" in my head.

"Right now, we monitor my tumors every four months with the help of MRI, CT scans and blood tests."

Despite his illness, Michael continued his education at Kilgore College, where he is about to start a nursing program in the fall.

The future nurse warned other students to be proactive if they discovered an unusual change in their body.

Michael said, "If you notice something out of the ordinary with your body, have it checked.

"Early diagnosis can be the key to treating so many cancers – if you notice something wrong, see your doctor.

"It could be the thing that makes the difference and saves your life."

To make a donation to Michael's fund, visit his GoFundMe page.