Amy Nichole

“My journey has shown me how much impact early detection, treatment, and support can have, and I want to use my voice to inspire others to pay attention to their health, seek care, and never give up hope.”

Amy Nichole spent her younger years regularly sunbathing: “Tanning was everywhere in magazines, ads, and culture. Even though I had fair skin, I gave in.” Later, when she started seeing dark spots on her right arm that didn’t seem right, she had them checked and was diagnosed with Atypical Mole Syndrome (also called Dysplastic Nevus Syndrome), which is when a person has a large number of moles with an unusual, or atypical, appearance. Because people who have this condition have an increased risk of melanoma, they require regular skin checks. “That was my first lesson in listening to my body,” she says.

Later, in 2016, just after her 28th birthday, Amy noticed that a small spot on her upper chest had started to look different. “Something told me, ‘Get this checked.’ I’m glad I did because it was stage 1B melanoma.”

Over the next several years, Amy was diagnosed with two more melanomas in 2019. “Then, at 35—the same age my mother was when she faced her own health battle—I was diagnosed with cervical cancer, just like she was,” she says. “Each diagnosis felt like another wave trying to pull me under, and each surgery left its mark.” Amy’s cervical cancer surgery went well, and she still sees a doctor for regular checks. Finally, in 2023, yet another melanoma was found in the same spot where she once suffered a bad sunburn as a child: “Thankfully, it was stage 0.”

Cancer has changed Amy’s life, she says, “in the way I see the world and how I move through it. Even when life felt overwhelming, I learned to focus on what I could control: my mindset, my health choices, and the way I spent my energy.” On her toughest days, she got through “by holding onto hope in the smallest things: sunlight on a trail, the flutter of a butterfly, or walking my dog, Roxy, every day.” Support was everything to Amy, and she credits her husband, family, and friends as her anchors. “They reminded me I wasn’t alone and taught me that asking for help isn’t weakness, it’s part of surviving and thriving.”

Today, Amy is cancer-free. She’s a professional photographer who documents her travels and uses her platform to advocate for melanoma awareness, guided by her mantra: “Like a butterfly, melanoma didn’t end me—it transformed me.” Her advice to others facing a diagnosis is to listen to your body: “Don’t ignore the whispers before they become screams. Take things one step at a time and give yourself permission to feel whatever comes: fear, sadness, or frustration, without judgment.”

She tells her story to remind others that there can be a fulfilling life after cancer. “It can be full of small joys, love, and adventure,” Amy says. “Cancer can leave scars both seen and unseen, but those scars are proof of your strength, resilience, and ability to keep going.”

Stand Up To Cancer raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers with the aspiration to cure all patients. Find out how you can get involved.