It is hard to believe that it has been three years since I was told that I had Stage 4 Melanoma – terminal cancer.
Within a few short months I had gone from a young woman, diagnosed a year prior with Stage 1 Melanoma, to a 22 year old with Stage 3 Melanoma, to finally hearing the worst news possible – I was Stage 4.
I was 22 years old and had already explored and worked in some of the most isolated places in the world and with the most exciting future ahead of me, to a 22 year old stripped of all my hopes and dreams and left to face my mortality.
Read MoreGrowing up with red hair, blue eyes, pale skin, freckles and living in Queensland I was always cautious of the sun. The caution was not because I linked being sunburnt necessarily with skin cancer, but because I simply knew that getting sunburnt was not fun. Of course, like anyone, there were instances where I did get sunburnt, but this was a rarity.
In my teenage years, I would start to have skin checks with a dermatologist. They weren’t yearly, but probably every two years. I had a few moles taken off in my teens, but they were all ok.
You could say that I was very aware of my skin from a young age and we never thought I would be where I am now.
Read More
