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By Alyce Collins
Senior Reporter
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Being heavily pregnant while raising toddlers and maintaining a full-time job was challenging enough for Alix Robinson, but then the discovery of a dangerous mole led to a lifechanging diagnosis in her third trimester.
Just one week after her twins turned 2 years old, Robinson, 33, of Indiana, discovered that she was expecting once more. She was delighted to expand her brood, but that does not mean it was easy. Robinson told Newsweek that she “vastly underestimated” how difficult it would be to juggle pregnancy with twin toddlers.
At the time, Robinson did not believe she had any health concerns. Little did she know, there was one glaring issue all along. She noticed a mole on her back “almost immediately” after welcoming her twins in 2023, but it did not look particularly worrisome.
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“I talked to friends and did some research, everything pointed to new moles being normal after pregnancy because of all the hormonal changes,” Robinson said. “Truthfully, I wasn’t worried at first. I’d remember it was there periodically and inspect it, but it was not until fall 2025 that I noticed it growing.”
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Robinson continued to monitor the mole by observing it in the mirror. Still, moles can grow or change and not be cancerous, so it did not strike concern in Robinson’s mind.
'I Just Wanted For it to be Behind Us'
Of course, she remained mindful of its presence and by January 2026, Robinson showed the mole to a friend. After taking one look, the friend insisted that Robinson needed to get it checked because it was “shaped funny” and had a black spot in the center—both telltale signs.
The American Cancer Society uses the ABCDE rule to help monitor the signs of melanoma:
- "Asymmetry: One half of a mole or birthmark does not match the other.
- Border: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.
- Color: The color is not the same all over and may include different shades of brown or black, or sometimes with patches of pink, red, white, or blue.
- Diameter: The spot is larger than 6 millimeters across (about ¼ inch–the size of a pencil eraser), although melanomas can sometimes be smaller than this.
- Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape, or color."
Robinson could not get a dermatology appointment until March, so she went about life as normal for several more weeks. Unaware of what was yet to come.
“The dermatologist was very kind and upbeat, but she was also very straightforward in saying that the mole definitely needed to be sent off for testing,” Robinson said. “Mind you, she was so upbeat that it did not really click in my head that it might not actually be benign.”
To Robinson’s surprise, the results showed that the mole was in fact cancerous and she was diagnosed with melanoma while 31 weeks pregnant.
While there was always a possibility of that, Robinson never imagined she would hear those words at the age of 32 while heavily pregnant. Her initial reaction was to plan ahead and do what needed to be done for hers and the baby’s health. Although as the days passed, the fear started to set in.
“While we were waiting to schedule the surgery and get additional testing results back, I got increasingly anxious and I was sick almost every day, just wanting so badly for it to be behind us. It was an additional stress on top of an already chaotic season of life with twin toddlers and a full-time job," she said.
'Rise to the Occasion and Take it Day by Day'
Robinson underwent a local excision to remove the melanoma from her back while 34 weeks pregnant, and a lymph node biopsy taken from her armpit. Thankfully, the incision on her back healed swiftly, but the lymph node removal was “very painful.” She explained to Newsweek that her arm and chest were so tender, even baggy clothing would cause pain.
Not to mention, Robinson developed several seromas, a pocket of fluid that builds up in the space left behind after surgery.
“I went back to the doctor a few times and had the fluid drained, but eventually they cut the site open and let it drain gradually. It was not pleasant to have fluid leaking from my armpit, but it was also very painful to have an open wound,” Robinson said.
It certainly was not the pregnancy she expected, but Robinson finally welcomed her daughter in May. Many people asked how she got through it alongside a cancer diagnosis, but Robinson did not feel like she had a choice. It was imperative to keep fighting, if not for herself, but for her four children.
She documented her experience on social media (@alixxrobinson) to raise awareness for melanoma and to educate others. She hopes to warn others to take any skin changes seriously, regardless of age or health.
“You’d be surprised what you can handle when faced with obstacles. Especially as a mother, you rise to the occasion and take it day by day,” Robinson said.
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