Rebecca has now had a part of her lung eliminated and medical doctors say it’s right down to a mistake when she was youthful
A mum who noticed a pink patch on her chest dismissed it as ‘only a spot’ till she was identified with stage 4 most cancers. Rebecca Turner, 46, says she initially thought the 1cm massive lump was ‘only a spot’, however turned more and more involved when it began going black, altering color, and have become itchy.
Rebecca says she was ‘devastated’ when she acquired the stage two pores and skin most cancers prognosis in June 2022 and ‘thought she was going to die’. Rebecca was identified with a nodular melanoma – an aggressive type of pores and skin most cancers.
After three surgical procedures to take away surrounding pores and skin and lymph nodes, she was positioned on ‘watch and wait’ – which meant that she had most cancers, however that she did not want pressing therapy. Each three months, she returned to the hospital for a full physique CT scan and full physique pores and skin verify to make sure that there had been no additional adjustments.
Nevertheless the freelance healthcare coach acquired the devastating information in July this yr that the most cancers was now stage 4 and had unfold to her lungs. She admits that when she was in her 20s she very often used sunbeds because it was the ‘completed factor’, wrongly believing they ‘prepped your pores and skin’ earlier than holidays – and needs them banned.
The mum-of-one is now elevating consciousness concerning the potential severity of pores and skin most cancers and is warning others that it is ‘not simply pores and skin most cancers’ and is not one thing ‘that may simply be minimize out and cured’. Rebecca, from Barry, South Wales, stated: “I observed this pale patch of pores and skin on the highest higher half on the proper facet of my chest.
“It was round and round 2.5cm in measurement. Then a proper lump appeared [in it], which was not more than about 1cm. Initially I assumed that it regarded extra like a spot however when components of it began going black after which altering color and it was itching and tingling, then it did not really feel like a spot.
“Irrespective of how a lot I used to be making an attempt to squeeze it, nothing was popping out. It wasn’t a mole. It wasn’t a typical presentation for melanoma.” Rebecca was ‘devastated’ when she acquired the prognosis of stage two nodular melanoma – some of the aggressive types of pores and skin most cancers.
Rebecca stated: “It was like I used to be watching it occur to another person. I used to be devastated. As quickly as I heard that phrase most cancers I assumed I used to be going to die – I assumed it was going to be the top. That weekend was horrific. I spent a lot of the weekend crying, making an attempt to cover my upset from my grown-up daughter.
“I used to be making an attempt to ensure that she did not get too anxious and was telling her that they caught it early, it could be wonderful, however I used to be continually crying behind closed doorways.”
After surgical procedure to take away the most cancers in 2022, Rebecca discovered that it had progressed to stage 4 in July 2025. Rebecca stated: “After my surgical procedure I used to be placed on ‘watch and wait’. In January 2025 my CT scan got here again as there being one thing suspicious – a metastasis in my proper lung.
“In July they found that the lump wasn’t secure and had tripled in measurement in that timeframe. That is once they confirmed that it was stage 4 metastatic melanoma.”
Final month, Rebecca had the tumour eliminated together with a piece of her proper lung and is ready to begin immunotherapy therapy in a number of weeks’ time. Rebecca believes that pores and skin most cancers is commonly ‘misunderstood’ and too many individuals suppose that it is ‘simply one thing which might be minimize out and cured’.
Rebecca stated: “I feel that lots of people do not perceive melanoma, they simply suppose that it is a case of they minimize it out and it is gone, when that is not the case in any respect. I am a melanoma help group and all of us have had folks say issues to us like ‘if I used to be going to get a most cancers, melanoma can be the one which I’d need since you simply minimize it out and it is completed’.
“However it’s not. No most cancers is simply you narrow it out and it is completed. It isn’t as if folks suppose this out of malice – I feel it is a lack of knowledge and schooling.”
Rebecca says that after talking with clinicians, it’s seemingly that her pores and skin most cancers developed because of her not sporting suncream as a baby. She is now warning different folks of the significance of sporting SPF 30 and above within the solar and is asking for sunbeds to be made unlawful.
Rebecca stated: “I personally suppose sunbeds ought to be made unlawful within the UK – they have been made unlawful in different nations. I by no means used a sunbed a lot in my life. I had a number of sunbed periods earlier than happening vacation as a result of that was what we’d class because the completed factor after I was youthful.
“We would do it to prep your pores and skin earlier than you go away when in actuality once you truly take a look at the science behind it, it isn’t prepping your pores and skin in any respect, it is simply damaging it. Happening vacation with pals in my 20s they’d all the time take the mick out of me as a result of I used to be continually reapplying my suncream.
“As a result of I did not burn simply, issue 30 was the very best that I’d use in my 20s and 30s – up till now. I’d use issue 20 for the primary few days of the vacation after which I’d go down to fifteen, 10 after which even two.
“I used to be reapplying the improper lotion as a result of what I do know now could be that we must always solely be utilizing an element 30 or above.”
Melanoma is a sort of pores and skin most cancers that may unfold to different areas of the physique. The primary reason for melanoma is ultraviolet mild, which comes from the solar and is utilized in sunbeds.
It is typically attainable to stop pores and skin most cancers by being cautious within the solar and making use of sunscreen usually. The primary therapy for melanoma is surgical procedure, however this additionally is dependent upon the place it’s and if it has unfold to different areas of your physique.
