Making a decision

Over the last year, we were in a constant state of receiving advise from everyone. Should we have the nevus removed, should we leave it alone, and just watch for signs of change, what was best for our daughter? Ultimately, we leaned toward having the nevus removed for several reasons:
1. Any increased chance of cancer is too high. Even if it was only .5% higher, it was too much. Having to keep her inside so that she didn't get exposed to the sun was not really an option, but would contribute to the higher risk.
2. She is a girl. Having 3 older sisters who all wear shorts, capris, skirts, and flip flops, being different, we felt, would be a stumbling block to Addison as she got older. Eventually, she would have noticed. Had she been a boy, the choice might have been different.
3. The nevus skin seemed to be a little more sensitive to everything. When Addison would drop something, or run into something with that foot, it was immediate, hurting tears. We are hoping that removal will decrease the sensitivity.
4. It is really hairy. This draws more attention to the leg, and more questions for us to answer.
5. Kids (and adults) can be cruel sometimes. We didn't mind so much the questions about what was on her leg from young kids, or the innocent questions, the ones that were truly interested, and cared. But there were occasions when people would come up to her and start to say "Look, what a cute...Oh!" And walk away. Fear of damage to her self-esteem later in life played a small part in our decision.

And so, we waited until her year appointments with the dermatologist and plastic surgeon.