Mother has shared life-saving photo on Facebook!
A brave young mother has shared a photo to Facebook in the hope that she can highlight the dangers of skin cancer to others.
Melanie Williams who is just 36 has had to have half her thumb removed because a bruise under her nail turned out to be skin cancer.
Melanie has uploaded the image in the hopes that she can raise awareness to others.
She says: “See that on my thumb? Do you know what it is? It’s skin cancer. This grew from nothing in a matter of weeks. I thought it was just a fungal infection or a wart. Sadly not.”
She continued: “I’ve been lucky, the cancer hasn’t spread and it’s being removed next week along with half of my thumb. This may have not been the case if I’d left it and not got it checked out. I don’t want your sympathy, I want more awareness. Therefore, please go and get any changes or growths on your skin checked out, please tell people around you to get checked as well. Don’t leave it to chance or make excuses! I will be fighting fit in no time but if I’d left it, I may have been losing more than a thumb. So please, don’t leave comments about how brave I am or how sorry you are, instead take that time to share this or tell someone they need to get checked or make that phone call to the doctors for yourself.”
According to the NHS, the most common signs of skin cancer are:
- A new growth or sore that doesn’t heal
- A spot, mole or sore that itches or hurts
- A mole or growth that bleeds, crusts or scabs
- A change to a mole, freckle or normal patch of skin
They advise: Don’t try to diagnose yourself – if you notice any unusual or persistent changes to your skin it could be a sign of skin cancer, so go and see your doctor because finding it earlier makes it easier to treat.
