A mum-of-three who was given a terrifying skin cancer diagnosis has revealed the one mistake she made before discovering a suspicious mole on her back.
Amelia Liddy Sudbury, from the Sunshine Coast, was getting changed in front of the mirror one morning in April this year when her daughter let out a cry of disgust.
The eight-year-old had spotted a significant mole on Amelia’s back, and immediately questioned her mother about it.
Amelia, who admitted that she hadn’t had a skin check in three years, grabbed a hand mirror and held it up behind her back to get a closer look.
What she saw immediately rang alarm bells.
‘I live in the Sunshine Coast – I know what melanoma looks like,’ she told FEMAIL.
‘As soon as I saw my back, I knew I had to go to a skin cancer specialist. It definitely wasn’t a mole – it just looked awful and wrong.’
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Having almost died along with her unborn baby when she contracted listeria in 2018 and barely surviving a bout of ulcerative colitis, Amelia (pictured) could not believe her life was about to change so drastically once again.
Having almost died along with her unborn baby when she contracted listeria in 2018 and barely surviving a bout of ulcerative colitis, Amelia could not believe her life was about to change so drastically once again.
‘I was so exhausted and angry, I just couldn’t do it anymore,’ she said.
She made an appointment with the SunDoctors skin care clinic, which specialises in diagnosing and treating melanoma.
‘I thought I did everything right,’ she said. ‘I covered up, I wore a hat, I lathered myself in sunscreen – but I just hadn’t gotten a check in years.’
Amelia hadn’t had a skin check in almost three years at the time, and was terrified that could cost her life
Amelia Liddy Sudbury, from Sunshine Coast, was getting changed in front of the mirror one morning when her daughter let out a wail of disgust
Amelia said after being chronically ill for more than 10 years, she had felt like she was finally in the clear.
‘It just goes to show that nothing is guaranteed – I was always one of those people who thought skin cancer won’t happen to me,’ she said.
‘Like listeria, I thought I was safe because it only happened to other people. But after almost losing my son and my own life, I wanted to have a few years where nothing bad happened.
‘I have really gone through the wringer. I’d sit and daydream about the day I wasn’t sick anymore.’
Amelia’s first appointment revealed that the melanoma was on her spine and that, while it was treatable, it would be a difficult journey to a clean bill of health.
‘It was unbelievable – the doctor took one look at my back and immediately knew he had to cut it out,’ the mum said.
‘I was sent to an operating room and 15 minutes later they had cut the melanoma out and I was getting stitches on the inside of my spine,’ Amelia said
Amelia’s first appointment revealed that the melanoma was on her spine and that, while it was treatable, it would be a difficult journey to a clean bill of health
‘I was sent to an operating room and 15 minutes later I was getting stitches on the inside of my spine.
‘We had results within 48 hours, but my whole family spent that time with our hearts in our mouths. It was a ticking time bomb.
‘There had been too many hospitals for all of us, and we couldn’t do it anymore. I didn’t know what to do with myself when they told us it was cancer.’
Amelia was then sent in for a second surgery so doctors could ascertain how deep the cancer cells had invaded.
‘They cut me really deep and I had about ten stitches across my lower spine. Thankfully, it was only melanoma in situ – so it hadn’t spread to other parts of my body yet.’
Amelia still has minor mobility issues from the years of chronic illness and her operation but is on the mend
The mum did not need to go through chemotherapy but is now returning for a thorough skin check every three months.
‘Even though the melanoma wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, I think I have chronically bad luck. My stitches burst a few days after I got home from the hospital and there was blood everywhere, my bedroom looked like a horror movie,’ she said.
Amelia still has minor mobility issues from the years of chronic illness and her operation but is on the mend.
‘The whole process – especially the surgery – was extremely painful and stress-inducing, but I didn’t want to scare anyone into not getting regular checks so I couldn’t admit that,’ she said.
‘I was petrified of what it meant at first, but I’m much more diligent with being sun-safe and getting regular checks by a dermatologist.
‘My attitude really got in the way of me catching it earlier – but the pain was definitely worth it, and fear should never get in the way of getting a skin check.’