A bride-to-be who bravely posted pictures of her scars after battling skin cancer was told she was making it up for attention by cruel trolls.
Gemma Cottam, was left with a horseshoe scar from her ear to her chin after battling stage three melanoma – and posted pictures to encourage women to stay off sunbeds and wear sun cream.
The 25-year-old was left devastated when cruel trolls bombarded her Facebook campaigning page – Mela-no-more – with ‘sick’ messages.
They said she was a scammer who was making up her illness for attention – abuse she said was hard to deal with while simultaneously battling cancer.
Now, she has had to postpone her wedding to fiance Paul Welsh, 41, in order to have treatment, but hopes she will finally get married later this year.
Gemma Cottam, 25, bravely posted pictures on social media of her scars after she battle skin cancer. But she was devastated to be told she was making it up for attention by cruel trolls
She set up a Facebook page called Mela-no-more to raise awareness to the disease. But trolls accused her of being a scammer and making up her illness for attention
Miss Cottam, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, said: ‘I thought it was really important to share pictures if my scar because it’s quite shocking and I hoped it would really help raise awareness of melanoma.
‘But when I did I had people messaging me saying I was an attention seeking whore and that my cancer wasn’t real and that I was trying to scam people.
She continued: ‘They told me that I was ugly and that the scar made me look better. It was sick – I had to come off my awareness page for a bit because the messages were just vile.
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‘It completely devastated me to be honest, I’m here fighting for my life and people think it’s OK to say stuff like that it’s shocking.
‘People just need to watch what they’re saying to cancer survivors, we have enough to deal with and who are they to say that someone is faking it?’
Miss Cottam created the page after she saw people posting on social media about using sunbeds and trying to get burnt in the sun – and wanted to warn them of the dangers.
But she received such a backlash to her page that she stopped checking it, or reading messages that were sent to her.
Miss Cottam was diagnosed with melanoma on October 3 last year. She had to undergo surgery to remove her lymph nodes from her neck after doctors revealed the cancer had spread
She said the abuse she received on Facebook was hard to deal with while she was battling skin cancer
During the operation to remove her lymph nodes (left, afterwards), her nerves were cut and she lost use of her left arm, meaning she was forced to give up her job in a supermarket
‘People just need to watch what they’re saying to cancer survivors, we have enough to deal with,’ she said
Miss Cottam was diagnosed with stage two melanoma on October 3 last year after she returned from a holiday with her fiancé.
Further tests revealed the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and progressed to stage three of the disease.
On December 15, she underwent a lymph node dissection where they removed the lymph nodes on the left hand side of her neck.
The operation caused nerve damage which has limited the movement and sensation in her left ear, neck and left arm.
She is undergoing physiotherapy, but so far has not recovered movement in this part of her body.
She has been warned, because of the high recurrence rate, that the cancer can come back and now faces checks every three months.
Gemma Cottam developed a spot on the left side of her face at the age of 15, which grew into a mole. Pictured with fiancé Paul Welsh, 40
Left scarred, Miss Cottam said it pains her to see people posting on social media about sun beds and getting burnt. She said: ‘It’s like they’ve seen how much I’ve struggled fighting cancer but don’t seem to let that sink in’
Miss Cottam explained how she developed a spot on the left side of her face at the age of 15, which grew into a mole.
It was checked by a dermatologist and when they told her it was not dangerous, she decided not to get it removed as she had a phobia of needles.
It was only when the mole grew and started to catch on her hair and clothing that she decided she would go ahead with the removal.
A biopsy of the growth then revealed she had cancer.
Miss Cottam underwent two operations – including one to remove her lymph nodes – which left a massive scar.
But she said the visible marks were worth it if it meant she would be cured of the disease.
Now, while recovering, she said she is toying with the idea of writing a book about her battle with skin cancer
She planned to get married in November of this year but after having more than nine months off work, all of the money saved for the big day had to be spent on rent and food.
Now, the couple are taking each day as it comes but hope to start saving up for the wedding soon.
Miss Cottam, who used to work at ASDA, said: ‘I’m really trying to put a positive spin on everything that’s happened to me and I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a book about my journey.
‘To see people on my social media posting that they’ve used sunbeds just hurts so much, it’s like they’ve seen how much I’ve struggled fighting cancer but don’t seem to let that sink in.
‘People think that I “preach” a lot on Facebook about staying safe in the sun but I just don’t want people to go through what I did, they think that my life is just back to normal now and it’s not – my life will never be normal because of this.
‘In the future I really just want to do more to raise awareness of skin cancer, I want to inspire cancer sufferers to stay positive.’
FROM BLEEDING, ITCHY MOLES TO FLAT SPOTS: THE SIGNS OF SKIN CANCER
From a discoloured patch on the skin to a mole that has changed in appearance, would you spot the signs of skin cancer?
According to a recent survey, carried out by the British Association of Dermatologists, more than three-quarters would not recognise warning signs of the disease.
Melanomas can appear anywhere on the body and are known to spread, making them more deadly
And the majority of British people do not carry out the monthly checks recommended by dermatologists, experts warned.
The poll also revealed, 77 per cent of respondents said they do not feel confident they could recognise the signs of a melanoma – the most deadliest form of skin cancer.
Here, we reveal what to look for in three different types of skin cancer.
MELANOMA
Melanoma can appear anywhere on the body, but they most commonly appear on the back, legs, arms and face and even underneath a nail.
Though less common, they often spread to other organs in the body, making them more deadly.
The most common sign is the appearance of a new mole or a change in an existing mole.
Signs to look out for include a mole that is:
- getting bigger
- changing shape
- changing colour
- bleeding or becoming crusty
- itchy or painful
A helpful way to tell the difference between a normal mole and a melanoma is the ABCDE checklist:
Asymmetrical – melanomas have two very different halves and are an irregular shape.
Border – melanomas have a notched or ragged border.
Colours – melanomas will be a mix of two or more colours.
Diameter – melanomas are often larger than 6mm (1/4 inch) in diameter.
Enlargement or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma.
SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA
A form of non-melanoma, skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma is a cancer of the keratinocyte cells, in the outer layer of the skin.
They are mainly found on the face, neck, bald scalps, arms, backs of hands and lower legs.
Squamous cell cancers, the second most common type of skin cancer in the UK, may:
- look scaly
- have a hard, crusty cap
- make the skin raised in the area of the cancer
- feel tender to touch
- bleed sometimes
BASAL CELL CANCERS
Skin cancer can come in the form of a basal cell cancer (BCC), sometimes called a rodent ulcer.
The disease affects the bottom of the epidermis, the outermost layers of cells in the skin.
Signs and symptoms of BCCs, include a growth that:
- looks smooth and pearly
- appears waxy
- appears as a firm, red lump
- sometimes bleed
- develops a crust or scab
- begins to heal but never completely heal
- is itchy
- looks like a flat, red spot that is scaly and crusty
- develops into a painless ulcer
Around 75 per cent of all skin cancers are BCCs, which are typically slow-growing and almost never spread to other parts of the body.
If treated at an early stage, this form of skin cancer is usually completely cured.
But, some BCCs are more aggressive, and if left to grow, they may spread into the deeper layers of the skin and into the bones, which can make treatment more difficult.