AN IRISH woman has spoken of the terrifying moment her life was turned upside down while pregenant after she discovered she had a life-threatening form of skin cancer.
Co. Meath mother-of-two Sarah Lane was just five months pregnant with her third child when she found a spot on her back.
But it was only on visiting a doctor for the third time that a diagnosis was finally made.
"I didn’t pass much remarks on it, I thought it was just a spot," she said. "It was a bit sore to touch that’s all, weeks later it was still there so when I was in with my GP for a antenatal check-up I asked her to look at it - she said it was nothing.
"My next visit was a few weeks later and I saw a different GP, who also assured me it was nothing."
Two weeks later her son Joey was born and the new mum thought no more about the spot on her skin.
"I completely forgot about it, being so consumed by my little boy. I was so happy after having two girls. I was on cloud nine," she said.
But six weeks later Sarah and her son were being seen by a different doctor who saw that the spot was now bleeding and itchy.
"My spot at this stage was bleeding and very itchy, so I was advised to see this certain doctor who has a good eye for dermatology," she said.
"We went and he said to me 'that has to be removed straight away'. He said 'Sarah have you ever heard of melanoma?'. I said yes but that I didn't know much."
As just 34, the mother-of-three had been given the news no one ever wants to hear.
"I was shocked and very afraid, the first thing I did was to google melanoma, and alarm bells started ringing.
"I was terrified, my spot looked just like some of the images. I’m 34 years old. So many people have said I'm too young for all this, unfortunately cancer has no age limit," she said.
Sarah says her family and friends' support has been vital.Her advice to anyone going through similar is to try not to be afraid.
"Don’t let it control you," she said. "It’s hard sometimes when you're are at your lowest ebb.
"I’m so lucky to have a wonder partner and family and friends whose messages of support drives me on.
"You have to keep going, don’t give up. If something appears on your skin and it's changing get it checked - early detection is key.
"I wonder if the first GP had spotted it sooner would I be where I am today?"
The Irish woman has shared her story as Ireland's Health Service Executive recommended the use of a groundbreaking drug treatment, immunotherapy nivolumab - as monotherapy and in combination with ipilimumab.
It's used to treat advanced skin cancer, kidney cancer and an aggressive blood cancer, classical Hodgkin lymphoma.
In Ireland, 40,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year on average, with one person dying from the disease every hour.
Approximately 1,700 people were diagnosed with advanced melanoma, kidney cancer and classical Hodgkin lymphoma between 2012-2014. Nearly 400 patients died between 2011-2013.
Sarah recalls the moment she was told she had cancer, news that came four weeks after her spot had been removed by her GP.
Surgery soon beckoned.
"I got the call that has changed my life, turned it upside down, the words malignant melanoma," she said. "There was a wide incision on my back and lymph glands from both arm pits were removed to see if the melanoma had spread. At this stage I was 2b.
"Unfortunately it had spread to my left arm pit, which meant more surgery, and nine more glands removed. None were infected, but as it had travelled, I was put on a drug for a year called interferon.
She added: "It was absolutely horrific, I had aches and pains, no energy, hair loss, no appetite."
Then, eight months into her treatment, more bad news was confirmed.
"I found a lump under my armpit, further tests and a biopsy showed it positive for melanoma. The treatment hadn’t worked, I was devastated."
Sarah underwent further surgery and a further nine tumours removed all tested positive.
She was put on a new drug called ippluminab but after 12 weeks she found another lump.
At this stage her armpit had been opened four times in just one year and she's now undergoing a course of radiation.
"It's very tough," she said. "I can’t swallow lumpy food. My throat is very sore and my armpit is completely burnt - it's like a bad sunburn," she added.
"I have spent the last week in hospital with pneumonia."
The brave Irish mum is now stage 3b but is determined to raise awareness in the fight against cancer.
