My name is Traci McAfee and I’m the mom to 4 beautiful biological children and two bonus children. Our 12-year-old was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in January 2026 by way of shave biopsy. She was then scheduled to see the pediatric oncologist at Nemours Children’s as well as the plastic surgeon. Emma has been more sleepy than usual and having some pain, though minimal.

We are attempting to reach as many people as possible to educate on the seriousness of skin melanoma. It was a complete shock to my system as her mother.

Emma has already gone through two surgeries since finding out last month. One to remove as much of the cancer as possible as it went as deep as the fascia, which is the thin layer protecting the muscle from the fat in the body.

She has a moderate divot in her lower left leg. Her surgeon attempted to make it look as normal as possible for now. If she completes her immunotherapy (which is going to be a year-long), and remains cancer-free, then he can go back in and make the area look as normal as possible.

I unfortunately had to step away from my job as a nurse due to multiple reasons: 1) I have Addison’s disease and any amount of stress on my body can put me into an adrenal crisis. I have already been hospitalized multiple times due to this. 2) I lost my job I just recently obtained due to my blood pressure not being in an adequate range to sustain my body.

I was the “breadwinner” so to speak due to the fact I am a nurse and have been for nearly 12 years. This loss of income is devastating for our family.

Gasoline to drive to all these doctor’s appointments, infusions, and any additional procedures she may need in the future takes so much of our income. We drive a mid-size SUV which is new to us but used. We only have one vehicle.

I’m not simply just asking for monetary help, but if you feel compelled to help and would just like to pay a bill directly to help our family, I’m happy to provide the name of the company with the account number. Any amount helps at this point.

Please share among your friends and family! Prayers are also the ultimate gift as we know how strong prayer is and God is the ultimate healer.