Your Story Series: Meet Teresa

What is your name?

My name is Teresa.

Describe yourself in 3 to 5 words:

Caring, friendly and happy.

What is your occupation?

I work as a Theatre Nurse.

How did you discover your melanoma condition and how long ago?

Despite a surgeon advising that I should get my moles checked, it was years before I actually went through with it. Every now and then I would catch a side glimpse of the mole that was on my neck near my ear - it appeared to be changing but I couldn’t be sure. A part of me was afraid to know the outcome so I left it.

One day my sister mentioned that the mole on my neck was getting bigger and it was all different colours. "Okay," I thought to myself, "no more ignoring the problem, it's time to get it checked!". Sure enough, it had to come out.

Then the call I was dreading came; it turned out it was melanoma in the early stages and I needed a re-excision. From that point on, I made sure to have 6-month checks as I have quite a few moles. I've since had another one removed that was in the process of changing shape and colour.

Do you have any other skin conditions?

Just fair skin with lots of moles.

What is your attitude towards sun protection today?

Slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen and slap on a hat. My make up is high SPF and my beachwear clothes cover up the majority of my skin. I always keep hats and sunscreen handy in the house, car and all my bags.

What would you tell your 16-year-old self about taking care of your skin and sun protection?

Get out of the sun, stop getting burnt and get your skin checked!

Thank you Teresa for helping raise awareness for skin cancer, melanoma and skin conditions, and sharing your story with us and our Solbari Community.

The Solbari Team

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Your Story Series: Meet Gary

I first discovered skin problems via a visit to a skin cancer clinic in our district twenty years ago and have had lots of varying treatments since, including surgery. The common reference was “this damage was done when you were in your teens and lived in the surf."

Which countries have the highest rates of skin cancer?

Australia is ranked 1st for melanoma incidence rates at 33.6 per 100,000 of population. This has equated to between 1,400 and 2,000 Australians dying from melanoma per annum in recent times.