real stories
Rebecca Wilde, 36
Are you aware of any family history of skin cancer?
No
How did you find out you had skin cancer?
I went to a well womens clinic for a check up and my Doctor noticed that my mole on my left eybrow had become very dark. She refered me to a plastic surgeon who removed the mole. 5 days later, when I went back to have my stiches removed, the surgeon informed me that I had a malignant melanoma and I would need further treatment.
How old were you when you were diagnosed?
31.
Did you expose your skin to the sun a lot?
When I was younger I had a tendency to get burnt whenever we went on holiday - sun protection was not as high as it is now and we were not educated to realise just how harmful the sun was/can be. As a teenager and into my early 20's I did sit out in the sun when I lived in Dubai. Silly really. Now I am into my 30's I wish I never had - I would look at least 5 years yonger!!
What did you know about skin cancer before your diagnosis?
I became more aware of skin cancer when I was a teenager. My mum used to buy me a course of sunbeds before we would go on holiday so that I wouldnt burn and then one year she stopped and told me she had heard how harmful they could be. You can only imagine how she felt. From then on I would say that although I knew the affects of the sun, it didnt stop me or my friends from sitting out in it. We had never known anyone to be diagnosed with skin cancer. But, that all changed when I was told I had it. I am glad that it has had such a positive effect on my friends and their families. It opened the eyes of a lot of people.
Are you still receiving treatment?
No, not treatment, however I am still checked every year, lymph nodes, x-rays and also my skin etc. This will be an ongoing thing. I have been very lucky I have now been free of a tumour for 5 years now.
Did you suffer any side effects?
Not side effects, repetitve surgery was my only treatment. Radiation therapy would have destroyed my left eye. It would have been the next stage of treatment if all of the cancer had not been taken away.
Who treated you?
Dr Khan initially in Dubai and then for a skin graft of my left eye, I went to Dr Roger Strover, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa. He specialised in eyelid surgery and also had a very good knowledge about skin cancer and all the implications of where my cancer was located.
Any further information?
I was very lucky. If it hadnt been caught when it did, it would have spread very quickly through my body, and I would not have lived another 12 months. And I would not have been so lucky to see my first child being born (which will be in 6 weeks!)
