Adelaide Fringe CEO Heather Croall calls on South Aussies to get their skin checked after shock diagnosis

Fringe director and CEO Heather Croall will spend weeks recovering after a shock health scare.

Fringe director and CEO will be bed bound for weeks after a routine check up led to a melanoma cancer diagnosis.

Heather Croall is now calling for all South Australians to get their skin checked.

“The doctors called after the lab test and said it’s come back as early melanoma … it’s a bit of a wake up call,” the 57-year-old said.

“It is important for everyone to go and have their annual skin check, especially where we live in South Australia with such strong sun and so much sunburn when we were young.

“The potential for melanomas to pop up on our skin is high.”

Adelaide Fringe director and CEO Heather Croall. Picture: Lee Knowles Picture: Supplied

Heather Croall after the removal of a melanoma on her shin which required a skin graft. Picture: Supplied

Ms Croall has been going for regular skin checks over the last 20 years since a benign spot appeared on her neck.

She said she is grateful she went for the skin check, otherwise she never would’ve spotted the melanoma.

“It wasn’t like I went for the skin check because I saw it, it was just found as part of the routine check,” she said.

“My first thought was, ‘thank goodness I went for the skin check’.”

Ms Croall has been having skin checks for the last 20 years. Picture: Supplied

The site were doctors removed the melanoma. Picture: Supplied

While the doctor removed the initial melanoma, when doctors confirmed it was malignant they were required to go back to the site on Ms Croall’s shin and perform a procedure to excise a wider area.

The procedure was performed last week under a local anaesthetic so Ms Croall was awake to witness the skin graft being extracted from her stomach and reposition it on her shin.

“I was definitely nervous,” she said.

“I was distracted by the nurse and the doctor chatting with me all the time and they were so great.”

She said she could feel the doctors pulling on her skin.

“It’s a bit like a stinging sensation and you are aware when they’re doing the stitching up,” she said.

Because the melanoma was found early, Ms Croall said “it hadn’t already thrown roots down”.

“(I) felt grateful it was found early,” she said.

“I was thinking thank goodness I didn’t put off the skin check … there are so many of us that delay it and put it off and it’s a good reminder that it’s not worth delaying and it’s important to do them regularly.”