Myrtle Bank resident Belinda Smith talks about her battle to survive melanoma

Just three months after melanoma took her world record sprinter mum, a woman found out she had the same disease. Despite the shock diagnosis, she’s fighting back.

After losing her mum to an aggressive cancer, Belinda Smith received the worst news possible – she had the same disease.

The popular Concordia College uniform shop worker, was diagnosed with the cancer in March last year when she was just 52, three months after her mother Jennie Hosking’s death.

Mrs Smith, of Myrtle Bank, said her mum had just 10 months between knowing she had melanoma to dying from it aged 74.

The aggressiveness of Mrs Hosking’s cancer was worsened because she had received a liver transplant in 1995 when she was 49 and could not receive traditional chemotherapy treatment.

Surgeons thought they had removed all of the cancer in Mrs Hosking’s body, but the disease was too strong.

Melanoma survivor Belinda Smith with her late mother, Jennie Hosking, who died from the aggressive cancer. Picture: Supplied

“The melanoma metastasised and went through her body and her brain,” the mother of two said.

“It was awful.

“My mum was a very energetic person who was always helping other people and was always out and about.

“She has the world records for the 100m and 200m sprint in the 60+ and 70+ age groups for The World Transplant Games.

“To see her fade away was devastating.

“She died peacefully with Dad holding her hand and listening to one of her favourite CDs.”

When Mrs Smith herself was confronted with a melanoma battle, it was a daunting proposition.

“Melanoma was not on my radar. Finding out about my melanoma was a bit of a shock,” she said.

“I had two moles that they were checking on.

“They were more worried about the smaller one.

“As it turns out, I had to get more taken out from the smaller one as it was on the way to a melanoma.

“Thankfully they took out the bigger one before it spread.”

Mrs Smith will participate in a melanoma march at Henley Beach on March 27 to raise awareness and money for melanoma research.

Meanwhile, she continues to provide warnings and advice to help others save themself from the cancer.

She said the best way to beat the disease was to cover up in the sun, wear moisturisers with SPF in them, take note of changes to moles on your body and get regular skin checks with a melanographer.

Further details about the melanoma march are available at Adelaide.melanomamarch.org.au.