Informed by research, transformed by research

At university, I volunteered for a charity that raised awareness of the symptoms of cancers in young people. One afternoon, I had been asked to visit a school to talk about my experience of having been diagnosed with melanoma in situ as a teenager. My survival represented a success story, highlighting the importance of early detection. ‘Had my melanoma not been caught early, I might not be stood here to tell the tale’, I announced to the class of wide-eyed 16 year olds. Although my treatment was deemed to be curative, the diagnosis had defined the previous few years of my life. I had been warned that I was at risk of developing more melanomas in the future. Sun cream became a permanent feature of my bag; every time the sun shone I was reminded of its carcinogenic potential. After six months of checkups, responsibility for preventing future deadly disease...
Source: Evidence-Based Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Open access Patient voices Source Type: research