Girl forced to have thumb amputated due to rare cancer caused by biting nails

There are some habits which may not seem likeable but aren’t really considered that harmful by people. But these little things people are warned against can also turn out to have unexpected yet grave consequences.

20-year-old Courtney Whithorn didn’t think biting her nails was a big deal until it left her without a thumb. The girl who developed this habit after being bullied at school was embarrassed when her thumb started to turn black and decided to hide it for four years.

When she finally saw a doctor, the psychology student found that she had caused trauma to her nail bed which led to a rare form of cancer. Several surgeries to remove the cancer called acral lentiginous subungual melanoma were unable to save her thumb which had to be amputated.

But despite removing her thumb, Courtney hasn’t been given an all clear by doctors as the location of the cancer is still unknown.