Cancer sucks - as I know only too well

Cancer SUCKS. Chemo SUCKS. Take it from me and please read this PSA.

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month*

I was ALWAYS careful in the sun and yet I ended up in this state ⬇️
4 years ago:

Stage 3b skin cancer with a major operation and a year's worth of chemotherapy in tablet form.

Think a tan is 'sexy' or that sunburn isn't that bad? check out the (not pleasant) pictures below ⬇️

***And DO NOT check them out if you are squeamish***

➡️ ➡️ WEAR SUNSCREEN. Just fucking well wear it, please? ⬅️ ⬅️

And get your moles checked.

It's not 'only' skin cancer (as someone 'helpfully' stated 😠)

It can go to your brain pretty quickly if you don't catch it

Summary:

➡️ Had weird mole on my lower back. It started to itch
➡️ They removed it quickly, it was melanoma
➡️ major surgery on 1st April to remove all the primary cancer from my back and do lymph node biopsies in three sites - both arm pits and my groin (wounds took 7 weeks to heal)
➡️ have a 9 inch scar on my back
➡️ the op meant I couldn't move without severe pain for about a month
➡️ cancer cells spread to the lymph nodes too
➡️ thankfully it hadn't spread anywhere else
➡️ had chemo for a year
➡️ chemo has many horrid side effects and I had to leave my contract job due to some of them being so bad
➡️ I couldn't freeze any embryos (just in case of side effects affecting fertility, so another childless blow to deal with)
➡️ I still have regular check and scans (I ❤️ NHS)


And - as per usual in my experience - the NHS were incredible. Fast, efficient, compassionate.

NEVER forget how lucky we are to have this 🙏🏻

For more on skin cancer, including life-saving skin checks, visit https://lnkd.in/dt5MhBT8

[*this post is for awareness, NOT sympathy. I am very well, now, almost 3 years cancer- free and now doing my bit to keep YOU all healthy. Happily, sympathy is no longer required, thank you 😊]