In 4 days time I will be on the start line for the London marathon to run my first ever marathon. I was very lucky to win a place courtesy of New Balance but 4 days after this good news my bubble burst when I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma skin cancer. 

As a result I would like to use this opportunity to raise money for a small skin cancer charity called Skcin and more importantly to
raise awareness of this type of cancer. Skcin are a small charity who do great work to support schools and nurseries to become Sun Safe accredited and support beauty professionals to help spot skin cancers. 

I know money is tight right now but if you can donate that would be amazing. It would be great if you could also follow Skcin's social media which provides some really useful information.

Here's a little of my story. My melanoma was found in an existing mole I'd had my whole life whereas 70 to 80 percent of skin cancers are found in new moles. 

My mole had changed colour and become asymmetric and after a trip to the GP, I was referred via the 14 day cancer referral to dermatology. My consultant thought my mole looked benign but gave me the choice of either closely monitoring it or having it surgically removed which would mean a big scar. 

I opted for surgery as I didn't want a ticking timebomb left on my body. I made the right choice as the biopsy of my mole came back positive for malignant melanoma. Thankfully we had caught this early and my treatment involved further surgery to remove wider margins around the existing surgery scar and regular skin and lymph node checks. 

The two surgeries have impacted my running training somewhat but the impact on my mental health has had a bigger impact, giving me an anxiety about the sun. Use of sun beds and previous sunburn are a big contributor to skin cancer. Please be careful in the sun, avoid burning and educate your children about the dangers of the sun and regularly check your skin. 

There is a misconception that skin cancer is one of the 'good cancers' and can simply be cut away. However if it has grown deep enough melanoma can spread through the body via the lymphatic system and metastasise to cause tumours all over the body. 

There are now immunotherapy treatments to help treat this but there are not as many treatment options as there are for patients with other cancers and these treatments cost the NHS millions.

This is one of the few cancers that is easy to spot. 
 

86% of skin cancers are preventable and most are treatable or curable if diagnosed early! It’s not rocket science - education is key to combatting the disease and saving lives. That’s why Skcin are dedicated to and specialise in the prevention and early detection of skin cancer through educational intervention.

1 in 54 people are diagnosed with melanoma during their lifetime - yet 86% of all skin cancer cases are preventable and ignorance regarding how to spot the early signs remains widespread. Skcin are completely dedicated to providing FREE national educational programmes and resources that raise awareness of the importance of sun safety to prevent skin cancer and how to detect the early signs and symptoms, to improve prognosis and save lives. Please help raise funds for this very worthy cause - together we can make a difference and save lives.