Cover up in the sun, warns man who beat skin cancer

Published on Tuesday 12 May 2009 10:41

DESPITE approaching retirement, David Anderson enjoyed the health and fitness levels of someone 20 years his junior.

He kept active, ate well and did not have an ounce of fat on him.

So when a colleague at the Bank of Scotland pointed out that there was a large blood spot on the back of his white shirt, he was not overly concerned.

"It was only when I got home and my partner checked that I found it was coming from an old mole" said the 60-year-old from Balerno.

Within weeks, he was facing a five-hour operation, following which the odds of survival would be stacked against him.

The mole, doctors said, could have lain cancerous for up to 40 years before making itself known by bursting.

Thanks to some luck, excellent medical treatment and a positive mindset he beat the 75 per cent odds on him dying, and is now rebuilding his life 18 months after the skin cancer treatment.

And he is backing nation Sun Awareness Week, which Macmillan Cancer Support described as a crucial tool in arresting the rise in cases seen every year.

"I wouldn't say I sank into a deep depression when I found out I had a 25 per cent chance of surviving – and there were no tears or anything," said Mr Anderson, who took early retirement to focus on his health.

"It was just a real lack of understanding on my part. I'll not deny, there were a few dark nights when I would sit with a vodka and Irn Bru and think long and hard.

"I couldn't see how this could have happened to me. I've always been completely healthy and never been on a sunbed in my life.

"I went on the odd foreign holiday but I was always careful with sunscreen and things like that."

He spent time trying to recall when he might have been badly exposed to the sun, and beyond Boys' Brigade trips to Dunbar, could not come up with anything.

"The consultant said I could have been harbouring the cancer for 40 odd years and it's just been lying there."

He then went into the Western General for his operation, which has left him with a seven-inch scar on his back.

Follow-up treatments saw him have lymph nodes removed from his arm to avoid further spread and he was eventually given the all-clear.

"At the time of my diagnosis I sat my family down and was very matter-of-fact about it," he said. "I told them I was going to be positive and fight it, and they did too.

"I was always very comfortable with the support in hospital. Everyone was so caring it made me feel like they were never going to give up on me.

"My experience just shows that it can happen to anyone, and people need to cover up in the sun and face up to the consequences of getting a tan to look good."

TANNING TOLL

Experts say skin cancer is on the increase for a number of reasons, including people living longer, taking more holidays in the sun and the fashion for a so-called "healthy" tan.

Macmillan's Edinburgh-based skin cancer nurse specialist Sheena Dryden said: "Although we need vitamin D from the sun, it's vital we protect ourselves from its powerful rays.

"If you notice any changes to moles or unusual skin growths then it is important you visit your GP. It's not about scaring people, it's about making sure we take a few simple steps to stay safe in the sun and enjoy summer."