When you see a freckle pop up on your skin, it doesn’t exactly ring alarm bells.
Yet for one dad, an innocent freckle turned out to be something incredibly serious and life-threatening.
It was only when Ryan Gosslop’s friend died of skin cancer in 2018 that prompted him to have his small freckle checked out.
And 40 biopsies later on his back, neck and lung the Perth native was diagnosed with nevus spilus, which transitioned into melanoma and cancerous areas.
“It just kept escalating — I spotted the mole, had it removed, it came back again and doctors said they still hadn’t got the clear margins and had to take more,” Mr Glossop told news.com.au
“I was anxious throughout the whole period waiting for the results.”
“It’s hugely challenging”
Mr Glossop’s wife Fallon admitted the whole ordeal was “hugely challenging”.
“The thing is, with any skin cancer, not only do they remove the affected area of skin, but they also take a boundary around it,” she wrote on Facebook.
“Ryan’s boundaries kept coming back abnormal, which was then found to be a skin condition called Nevus Spillus. It’s very rare for it to transition into melanoma, but in his case it did.”
In May, Mr Glossop had his final surgery which included a skin graft taken from his legs to cover his neck and back.
“It’s so important to have checks”
“It was almost like using a peeler,” he said. The piece of skin they took was about 40cm long and 8cm wide.
“The strength that Ryan has had through this whole process amazes me. Not only has he managed his pain considerably well but he has kept it together,” Ms Glossop said.
“This whole experience has been hugely challenging for all of us, but if anything good is to come out of this, it is that we now want to help raise more awareness of Skin Cancer,” Ms Glossop added.
“Melanoma accounts for 10 per cent of all skin cancers, which is why it is so important that everyone has regular skin checks.”
“Others out there are fighting a lot harder”
Mr Glossop reiterated how important it is to have freckles checked as an adult.
“I was happy and fortunate it was gone. To be honest, I couldn’t care less about the scars — I am proud to wear it because it is a reminder of what I survived,” he told news.com.au
“I am mindful how lucky I was. Some people are in worse situations than me. Mine was in the skin and I didn’t have to go through chemo, but others out there are fighting a lot harder.”
This article was first published on KidSpot and was republished at theAsianparent with permission.