A hairdresser who decided to have a mole on her knee checked after two friends were diagnosed with melanoma was shocked to discover she also had the disease.
Emily Hayes, 29, thought it was time to visit her local skin clinic after she noticed the ‘normal-looking’ mole she had for years start to change shape, colour and texture.
She wrongly believed she had nothing to worry about because she hadn’t experienced any other symptoms.
‘It was a shock to all of us – I personally didn’t think it would be melanoma. I thought only older people got melanomas,’ the Queenslander told FEMAIL.
While the fair-skinned mum always applied sunscreen at the beach, she didn’t wear it every day while out and about or doing chores like mowing the lawn.
After her ordeal, Emily’s now on a mission to encourage all young people to be diligent about skin checks and sun protection.
Emily Hayes (pictured centre beside her daughter Olivia and husband Daniel) was diagnosed with stage two melanoma 12 months ago after having her first skin check
The 29-year-old mum from Ipswich, Queensland, was prompted to visit her local skin clinic after seeing two friends post about their cancer stories on Facebook
During the skin check last year, Emily said her skin specialist was immediately drawn to the mole and took a biopsy.
‘It was just a flat mole that didn’t look out of the ordinary,’ Emily said.
She anxiously waited for the results and was at home when the specialist called her to deliver the devastating news that the mole was a melanoma – one of three most common types of skin cancer in Australia.
‘It was difficult to process and my three-year-old daughter Olivia was holding my hand asking why I was crying,’ Emily said.
‘I never thought someone in their 20s could get a melanoma. I called my husband to tell him what happened.
‘I never sunbaked per se, but I was terrible with sunscreen and sun protection. If I was going to the beach or park, sure, I’d put sunscreen on. But if I was just mowing the lawn I wouldn’t bother.’
Following the results she quickly returned to the clinic to have the mole removed.
The cancer itself was roughly the size of a pea and deep tissue was cut out from Emily’s leg to remove all cancerous cells.
Her only symptom was a mole on her left knee (pictured, left) that had changed shape, size and colour. After the prognosis it was removed (right)
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Thankfully, as the melanoma was still only at stage two, the cancer hadn’t progressed or moved elsewhere in her body, so Emily didn’t require any further treatment.
‘It terrifies me that the situation could have been worse so I’m glad I got checked when I did,’ she said.
‘No parent ever wants to think about leaving their kids behind.’
For the next year, Emily will require thorough check-ups every three months then biannually for the rest of her life.
‘I think young people aren’t educated enough about the importance of sun care and how damaging the sun can be,’ Emily said.
Now taking her skin seriously, she’ll have another two new moles removed this week as a precaution – one on her chin and another on her leg.
‘I’m far more aware now about what pops up and changes on my body,’ she said.
After the terrifying ordeal, Emily is on a mission to encourage other young people to be diligent skin checks
Australia has the highest melanoma rates in the world, with one person diagnosed every 30 minutes and one person dying from the disease every six hours.
It is the most common cancer affecting 20 to 39 year old Australians, and sadly 50 per cent of advanced melanoma patients don’t respond or become resistant to new immunotherapy treatments.
Every year Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) hosts a Melanoma March campaign to support the psychological health and wellbeing of Australians living with advanced cancer, and to help tackle tanning culture.
If you’d like to donate, click here.
