TWO Cork people have talked about their battles with skin cancer to warn others to be careful in the sun this summer.
Anne O’Leary, a 44 year old retired school teacher, currently living with melanoma, photographed with her niece Hannah McCarthy, a pupil of Our Lady of Lourdes NS, Ballinlough, Cork. Pic: Denis Minihane.
Four years ago, primary school teacher, Anne O’Leary, went for knee surgery. After the procedure, she noticed a small scratch on a freckle on her thigh.
A few weeks later, the scratch had developed into a blister-like lesion and Anne began to worry. She was eventually diagnosed with melanoma, and has had multiple surgeries over the last few years. The melanoma keeps coming back.
“At the moment, my treatment involves surgery every few months,” she said.
“And every few months, when it reappears, I go back to the very first time and I live through the fear and the worry.”
Meanwhile, Tom Murphy, a 70-year-old Cork native now living in Kerry, was barely sick a day in his life, before he noticed a bump on his arm while he was playing a round of golf.
The bump turned out to be malignant melanoma.
“Afterwards, the scans showed the lump had melted away and my lungs were clear,” said Tom.
“This treatment saved my life. Melanoma is a very rapid cancer, so this breakthrough is far beyond anything they, or I, had hoped for. To have come through this is a miracle of science.” When he was diagnosed with cancer, Tom initially felt very down, but now he feels like he has been given a second chance.
“I am alive, today, because my melanoma was caught in time. That means I am here to enjoy life and spend time with my children and grandchildren and that means the world to me,” he said.
“Everyone’s life is precious to them and their loved-ones, so make sure you look after your skin.
“Check your skin for changes in moles and freckles. You don’t want to risk not being around for birthdays, weddings, special occasions, because of something that is as easy to prevent as melanoma.”
Anne and Tom have joined forces with other cancer survivors to help the Marie Keating Foundation’s new Skintervention awareness campaign.
For further information on melanoma and skin cancer, please go to www.mariekeating.ie or www.mariekeating.ie/spotthedifference.
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