Woman Shares How She Woke Up Paralysed During Surgery After 20-Year Battle With Skin Cancer

A woman identified as Kory Feltz has opened up about her long battle with skin cancer, revealing the terrifying moment she woke up paralysed while doctors were operating on her.

According to Feltz, she has spent nearly two decades fighting the disease after she was first diagnosed at the age of 27.

Speaking about the emotional toll the illness has taken on her life, she said the fear of discovering new cancer spots never truly goes away.

“I wake up and check my body, holding my breath, terrified I’ll find something new,” she said.

“The fear of another diagnosis never really leaves – it just sits quietly in the background, waiting.”

She also revealed how the multiple surgeries have changed her appearance and affected her confidence.

“My reflection reminds me of what I’ve lost,” she explained.

“The surgeries have changed my face and my body. I drool because of the deformity left behind, and I see people stare. I feel embarrassed and insecure.”

Feltz was first diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma in 2007 after doctors discovered a suspicious mass in her calf while she was receiving treatment for varicose veins.

Following the discovery, she was referred to the University of California San Francisco, where she enrolled in a residential research trial. It took three surgeries before doctors were able to completely remove the cancer.

Later that same year, she was also treated for Basal Cell Carcinoma on her upper lip, which was removed with minimal scarring.

However, she later noticed what appeared to be a harmless pink pimple on her lip — something she said immediately worried her because it looked similar to the cancer she had previously experienced.

“It presented as a small pink pimple with a tiny white head,” she explained.
“I tried to pop it, but nothing came out. Within a week it began to resemble a tiny cauliflower.”

She said the discovery left her terrified, especially knowing what she had already gone through during previous surgeries.

Her fears returned during a surgery in 2015 when she suddenly woke up while doctors were still operating.

“I remember waking up during surgery and feeling them tugging at my face – this happened multiple times,” she recalled.

“I was under heavy sedation and could do nothing. I was paralysed.”

After the procedure, she tried to lighten the mood by asking her nurse and husband if she looked like Kylie Jenner, but their reaction quickly told her otherwise.

“Both of them sighed and looked as though their dog had died,” she said.

Since then, Feltz has undergone several treatments including Mohs surgery, biopsies, skin freezing procedures, injections and light therapy in her continued fight against the disease.

She also admitted she struggles with guilt over her past obsession with tanning.

“What beats me up the most is the guilt,” she said.

“Knowing I chased a tan obsessively – tanning without SPF and using tanning beds. I feel like I should have known better.”

Despite the emotional struggles and public reactions to her scars, Feltz says she continues to face each day with strength.

“I still wake up and face it even when I’m scared or exhausted,” she said.

She added that one of the hardest things she deals with now is the way people react to her scars.

“Sometimes I wish someone would just say ‘that’s a big scar and you still look great’. Honesty feels better than forced comfort,” she said.

“In person, the staring is the hardest – the double takes, the whispers. It makes me hyper-aware of my mouth and my scars.”

“There are days I struggle to leave the house. I have to prepare myself for the world before I walk into it.”