Macey-Mai was born with a rare skin condition causing over 100 birthmarks and a high risk of melanoma

Her mother, Katelyn Clarke, monitors her painful lesions daily after one was found to be cancerous

Doctors are concerned about the cancer spreading as Macey-Mai faces potential life-threatening surgeries and ongoing treatment

A 10-month-old girl is facing a cancer diagnosis after her rare birthmark caused “painful bleeding lesions.”

Katelyn Clarke — a 23-year-old from Plymouth, England — had a normal and healthy pregnancy before giving birth in May 2025 to her third child, daughter Macey-Mai.

However, shortly after, she learned that her little girl was born with giant congenital melanocytic nevus (GCMN). It’s a rare skin condition characterized by an abnormally dark, noncancerous tumor-like birthmark (nevus), according to the National Institutes of Health.

GCMN — often dry and prone to irritation, itching and excessive hair growth — can appear anywhere on the body. Individuals with the condition have an increased risk of developing an aggressive form of skin cancer called melanoma, the NIH said.

For Macey-Mai, the largest CMN covers her entire back, and she has over 100 smaller-sized CMNs on her stomach, scalp, legs and arms. Clarke told Southwest News Service that she was “completely shocked” when she learned of the dark marks.

Because Macey-Mai also had seven painful lesions on her largest birthmark that were bleeding and growing rapidly, they had to be removed.

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In August 2025, she had a biopsy and also underwent surgery to remove the lesions, which were sent for genetic testing.

Clarke spent months waiting for results, and in meantime, Macey-Mai’s lesions were treated with antibiotics. She was also told by doctors to monitor her daughter’s lesions for any changes in size — any differences could be a sign of cancer.

“Every single day I have got to take photos, to sit there and look at every single inch of her,” she explained. “Any changes, even the smallest changes can warrant the worst.”

Unfortunately, in March 2026, Clarke received upsetting biopsy results: One of Macey-Mai’s lesions is cancerous.

“I have never cried like that before, my heart’s been broken since we received the news that one of the lumps was malignant,” she told the outlet. “It has been very hard to comprehend.”

“I knew that with this condition you would probably face malignancy at some point but they said that’s when you are an adult,” she added. “They never say that you can be born with it so it’s devastating to know that it’s already the case.”

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Clarke has since been sharing updates on GoFundMe, revealing that as Macey-Mai’s lesions continue to grow, doctors have concerns of the cancer spreading. She’ll likely have to undergo another surgery and treatment.

“It’s extremely hard to navigate being a parent of three but also being a parent of a baby with such a rare condition,” she told SWNS.

As Macey-Mai approaches her first birthday, Clarke admitted that the milestone is bittersweet with the ongoing health problems, but she wants to give her daughter the “best birthday ever.”

“We will never know if it is going to be the last,” she said.

Read the original article on People