Melanoma Institute ambassador Cate Campbell opens up about melanoma scare for Game On Mole campaign

As the ambassador for a new awareness campaign, Queensland swimming champion Cate Campbell has told how a potentially life-threatening condition was detected by sheer chance.

CATE Campbell has opened up about her melanoma scare, admitting a chance encounter could have saved her life.

A year on from having a stage one melanoma removed from her arm, the 27-year-old swimmer has admitted she might still be walking around with undetected skin cancer if it weren’t for an unexpected meeting with an old friend, who shared their own health scare.

Announced today as the face of Melanoma Institute Australia’s Game On Mole campaign, aimed at young Australians, Campbell said she felt obligated to share her story.

Cate Campbell: International Swimming League could shake up the sport forever

Cate Campbell speaks to Crash Craddock for the Sunday Session

Cate Campbell is fronting the Melanoma Institute Australia's Game On Mole campaign, aimed at young Australians, following her own melanoma scare.

“I’m actually quite a private person, but what prompted me to share my melanoma story was I only went and got a skin check after running into someone who had their own melanoma story to tell,” Campbell said.

“If I hadn’t met them on the off chance, would I have gone for that skin check? I’d like to think so, but I can’t be sure and I may still be walking around with a melanoma in my arm possibly heading into my bloodstream, which could have caused more complications than just a scar.”

Campbell said, while she had always been sun safe because of her fair complexion, she took extra precautions since having had a melanoma.

“As a kid my nickname was “many moles”…. that was my username on my Neopets account that my best friend set up for me,” she said. “I think I even had an e-mail address for “many moles” for a while as well.”

Campbell had a stage one melanoma cut out of her arm in November, 2018. Photo: Instagram.

“Mum was always trying to force a hat on my head and sunscreen every three hours, which is hard when you’re a kid that just wants to be outside playing or going for a swim. I think she had a little bit of a rough task running after me.”

One Australian will be diagnosed with melanoma every half an hour, and one person will die from melanoma every five hours. It is also expected to be the most common cancer affecting Aussies aged 15 to 39.

Qld researchers discover new skin cancer genes

The idea of the Game On Mole campaign is to encourage Australians to take photos of their body at the start and end of summer, to keep track of changes in their skin.

“I think that young people and I feel a bit invincible,” Campbell said.

“Cancer is something that’s associated with an older generation and as a young person, cancer or melanoma shouldn’t be in your life. I was very, very surprised to find out that it was in mine.”

“One Australian dies every five hours from melanoma. And yet we are so blasé about it.

“Melanoma is something that is preventable so I felt like I had an obligation to share my story and to be a part of the Game On Mole campaign. If by sharing you can save one person, or if one person hears the story and goes and gets their skin checked, then I think that that’s a win.”

Game On Mole T-Shirts are available at www.gameonmole.com.au