I wanted to share this story for one reason: if it prompts even one person to get a skin check or take sun protection more seriously, it will be worth it. I generally considered myself fairly sun smart. I wear long sleeves a lot of the time, I use sunscreen some of the time, and I have never been someone who burns easily. In fact, I can only remember being sunburnt a few times in my life. That is exactly why this came as such a shock.
Since I turned 40, I had been getting skin checks every six months, and nothing had ever been picked up. In fact, I had one just six months before this happened. Then one day, after I had a shower, I was sitting at the computer when my hair happened to lie flat. My wife walked past and noticed a tiny dark spot, only about 2mm, on the top of my head. She said I should get it checked. As luck would have it, I already had a doctor’s appointment booked for two weeks later, so I showed it to him. He also suggested I have it properly checked, so I made an appointment with a skin doctor at the same clinic.
When the skin doctor examined it, he said it could go either way to see if he went further or waited and see if it changes. Under normal circumstances, he may not have pushed for a biopsy, but because both my wife and my GP had noticed it and encouraged me to act, he recommended we biopsy it just to be safe. I had the biopsy the following week, then went away for two weeks and got the results after I returned. The result was melanoma. I was extremely surprised, and to be honest, hearing the word cancer really scared me. Melanoma may not sound as confronting at first, but when someone tells you that you have cancer, it hits very hard.
Thankfully, with good timing. I was referred to a melanoma specialist surgeon who had a cancellation the following week, instead of the normal 6 – 8 weeks wait, so I was able to have surgery quickly. I went in thinking it would be a small cut and a simple procedure. Instead, it ended up being a 25cm cut on my head, with a 5cm oval-shaped section removed and my scalp pulled across to cover the area. It was basically a facelift. I walked in expecting something minor and came out with a very large headache, a few weeks of recovery ahead of me, and a new appreciation for how serious this really was.
The good news is that the results came back with clear margins, and it was confirmed as Stage 0 cancer. I was incredibly lucky. It was caught early, treated early, and that made all the difference. I am very grateful to the doctors who took it seriously and especially to my wife, who spotted it in the first place and pushed me to get it checked. Without that, things could have turned out very differently.
Looking back, I can also see where I probably got complacent. I have been fishing, kitesurfing and hydro foiling for about seven years. While I did wear sunscreen, a long-sleeved shirt, etc., my biggest mistake was wearing a visor regularly, not a normal cap or a wide-brimmed hat. Anyone who knows me would tell you I was almost always in a visor, thinking my thick hair was enough to protect the top of my head, but now, a few years past 40, the hair may not be as thick as it used to be. Between the long hours doing water sports and leaving my scalp exposed, I can now see how that combination created a real risk. Organisations such as Cancer Council Australia note that many melanomas are first noticed by patients or their partners and encourage people to become familiar with their skin, including difficult-to-see areas like the scalp. Sun protection guidance from Australian melanoma organisations also emphasises protective clothing, broad-brim hats, and regular skin checks.
So the moral of my story is simple: get checked. Even if you have tan skin, even if you do not burn easily, even if you think you are generally careful in the sun, skin cancer can still happen. I was lucky. Please use this as a reminder to book a skin check, pay attention to changes, and protect the areas you might overlook. It does not take long, and it genuinely could save your life.
Michael Starkey
Frogley’s Offshore
Immediate Past President AFTA