Skin cancer: Rachael Lee on melanoma battle, importance of skin checks

A missed appointment was all the time it took for one of Rachael Lee’s freckles to turn into melanoma.

When rugby league WAG Rachael Lee walked into her dermatologist’s office five weeks ago, she expected a normal check-up.

Instead the mum-of-two and fiancee of retired player Braith Anasta was told she can never go out on the beach in a bikini with her kids again for the rest of her life because of a cancerous lump on her stomach.

The busy mum has been getting annual skin checks for the past decade, but missed out on one after the birth of her two-year-old Gigi — and the brief lapse in intervention saw her diagnosed with stage one melanoma.

Rachael Lee is now raising awareness about the need to have annual skin checks. Picture: Justin Lloyd

“When Gigi was born I missed a year but I didn’t even think about it. Then when I went and got checked about a month ago I had so many dark moles on my body, so that kind of worries me,” she said.

“(The doctor) sent it off to a biopsy and a week later I got a call asking me to sit down. My gut just dropped and then he said we have found skin cancer. I just sat and cried in front of my kids.”

It comes as a new report on Australians and skin cancer attitudes from Australian life insurer TAL found that more than half of NSW residents surveyed said they would take any measurers to protect themselves but only one in three had a skin check in the past 12 months.

Lee said she can no longer go out in the sun. Picture: Facebook

Rachael Lee is urging others to get their skin checked. Picture: John Appleyard

The research also showed that 22 per cent of people said they never checked their skin themselves and 50 per of Australians with darker skin tones said they incorrectly believed they were less likely to get skin cancer.

Ms Lee has since had surgery to remove the melanoma but she can no longer enjoy the beach lifestyle from the couple’s Coogee home like she once did.

“I can’t go outside from 10am to 4pm … we live in Coogee and we always go out. I took that really hard because you enjoy your kids outside and enjoy where we live. I can only go out in long sleeves, wide brim hat,” she said.

The 33-year-old has had surgery to remove the melanoma. Picture: John Appleyard

“It can’t even be a linen shirt, it has to be proper UV protected clothing. I didn’t go out for five weeks during my surgery and I was so anxious and stressed.”

The 33-year-old had about 200 dark freckles — well over the normal amount of about 50 to 70 — and now has to get a skin check every three months for the rest of her life.

“If I missed the check another six month it could have been really bad. I know people in my age who have never gotten their skin checked,” she said.