Melanoma on ear , at least stage 2 according to pathology report.

Hello all. My mom got diagnosed with melanoma of her ear 6 weeks ago now. Surgery in 3 days (wide local excision of mole and lymph node biopsy)

Pathology report said Clark IV depth, at least 1.5mm, ulcerated. Stage: at least 2tb

My mom is really nervous about doing the lymph node biopsy because of how many vital nerves are in the neck which could potentially cause facial, various muscle paralysis.

Doctors obviously say the lymph node biopsy is the only way to see if the cancer has spread (aka stage 3). Is it crazy to only remove the mole and bypass the lymph surgery while keeping a close eye on the situation through imaging scans? (I.e. PET scans and ultra sounds detect potential lymph enlargement)