How my baby saved me from melanoma

WHILE playing on the floor in front of a mirror with her son, Kate noticed a strange mark on the bottom of her foot. What happened next saved her life.

Kate with her son.

THIS summer my five-month-old baby just may have saved my life.

While playing on the floor in front of a mirror with him, I noticed a strange mark on the bottom of my foot. It was in an awkward position near the webbing of my little toe — I would never have seen it if he didn’t love to spend hours pulling faces in the mirror every day.

I tried to brush it off as a blood blister, or some other type of injury, but I couldn’t remember hurting myself.

So when I went to the GP for my son’s vaccinations, I casually asked about the spot, assuming he’d brush it off as nothing.

‘That looks a bit odd. If it doesn’t go away, I’d get a full skin check soon’ he said.

The concern in his tone, more than the words scared me.

‘I can’t have skin cancer on the bottom of my foot’, I thought. ‘That area never sees sunlight.’

But when the spot didn’t go away after a week, I did as I was told and got a full skin check. The skin specialist who looked me over spent a long time on my toe. She didn’t like the look of it either, and mentioned the word ‘melanoma’ about 15 times during the consultation.

So a couple of days before Christmas, I was lying on a table in a local surgery, getting the mole removed. Because of the time of year, it would be at least two weeks before I had biopsy results. Two of the longest weeks of my life.

Luckily for me, the mole came back benign. But due to my skin type, I’ve been told I need regular skin checks, something I will be doing from now on.

Angus Sladden from the Melanoma Institute of Australia says it is very common for Australians to have atypical moles, and people should have their skin checked regularly.

“Melanoma doesn’t discriminate. It can get anyone, anywhere.”

While he said people who grew up in the sun are more susceptible to those who’ve spent most of their life in the shade, everyone should have regular check ups.

Fortunately for Kate, the mole was benign.

“You should have a thorough check up every six months, ideally by a dermatologist. The check should last at least 15 minutes, and all spots should be looked at through a magnifying glass”.

Mr Sladden said parents should be careful with their kids, as lifelong risks can increase with early sunburn.

“I’m lucky, and spent a lot of my childhood in the shade, but a few of my mates have heaps of moles, which increases their melanoma risk”.

Although people with fair to red hair, fair skin, and freckles are most at risk, anyone can get melanoma, which is sometimes known as ‘Australia’s cancer’ because it is so common in this country.

It is the most likely cancer among young people, and 12,500 people are diagnosed annually.

While the old ‘slip, slop, slap’ message still rings true, new campaigns, such as the Wes Bonny campaign run by the Cancer Institute of NSW, are aimed squarely at young people.

Blanche Waddell from the Institute says the campaign — which tells the story of a ‘typical’ outdoor-loving Australian, who died from melanoma aged 26 — is having a big impact on teens.

“They’re more likely to seek shade, and less likely to want a tan,” she said.

Use sunscreen and a hat if you’re going to be in the sun.

While in 2002 nearly 80 per cent of high school students wanted a sun-kissed look, now 41 per cent prefer to have no tan at all.

And even though summer has drawn to a close, now is the time to think about ways you can prevent skin cancer — because the sun doesn’t discriminate by season.

The Melanoma Institute of Australia gives the following advice:

• Seek shade, especially in the hottest part of the day

• Remember sun can reflect off surfaces such as water, sand and concrete causing sunburn.

• Wear clothing that covers, at the very least, your back, shoulders, arms and legs

• Wear a broad-brimmed hat

• Apply a minimum of 30+, broad-spectrum sunscreen at least every 2 hours

• Wear wrap-around sunglasses

More: www.melanoma.org.au/ | www.cancerinstitute.org.au/ | www.cancer.org.au/