- Julie Dawson, 40, says she was obsessed with getting a good tan
- First noticed a suspicious looking
mole on her right calf in 2007 - Over time it grew to the size of two £1 coins stacked on top of each other
- Had massive chunk of her leg cut away to remove the tumour
- Says the large hole on her leg has severely dented her confidence
06:57 EST, 30 April 2014
|
11:23 EST, 30 April 2014
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A sun-worshipping mother has been left with a huge chunk missing from her leg after surgery for skin cancer.
Julie Dawson, 40, blames her devotion to a ‘good tan’ for developing a huge cancerous mole on her right calf.
She says that following surgery to remove the cancer, she looks as if she has been bitten by a shark.
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Diagnosis: Julie Dawson (with partner Andy) was diagnosed with melanoma after years of sun worshipping
Medics saved her life by cutting out a massive chunk of her right limb in a bid to completely remove all traces of the malignant melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer.
She has been left with a large hole on her leg, leaving her too shy to wear swimwear, shorts or dresses.
Ms Dawson, an office administrator from Consett, Co Durham, said: ‘I used to love shorts and dresses, but now I never wear them.
‘My vanity to be tanned almost cost me my life, and it’s certainly knocked my confidence.
‘I hate my scar. Whenever anyone notices it, I tell them I’ve been bitten by a shark, but there aren’t many sharks round here.’
She first noticed a suspicious-looking
mole on her right calf in 2007, which grew to the size of two one-pound
coins stacked on top of each other.
Cancer: She first noticed a suspicious-looking mole on her right calf in 2007, which grew to the size of two one-pound coins stacked on top of each other
She had the operation to remove the huge cancerous growth the following year, which left her with a large palm-sized gash on her leg.
She added: ‘When I was a kid, we’d always be out playing with no suncream on.
‘And then when I got older, we’d be out sitting in the pubs. I always had my legs out, but never bothered putting suncream on.
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The comments below have been moderated in advance.
null,
2 hours ago
Better to be cancer free love
Doug,
Oldham,
2 hours ago
Lucky Lady
Yetunde,
Croydon, United Kingdom,
2 hours ago
I’d be very proud of my scar if it shows that I had beaten cancer. She’s very lucky to have a scar, it shows she’s still alive.
Robin of Locksley,
The Real World, United Kingdom,
2 hours ago
To all you people complaining that she is ungrateful and shouldn’t be moaning, that’s what I thought when I read the headline. But then I actually read the article and saw that she isn’t complaining, she is trying to make people aware of the risks of skin cancer and actually says that she has no one to blame but herself. You would have seen this as well, if you had bothered reading it too!
Miranda,
Devon, United Kingdom,
2 hours ago
I had a mole removed 2yrs ago it was on my eyebrow and yes i have a scar and yes you can see it. But i’m so glad that they could do something for me. Thank you to the nhs they are brilliant.
amylouise.456,
newcastle, United Kingdom,
2 hours ago
I’d rather be proud of the fact I was a cancer survivor than lie and say I got bitten by a shark. At least you get to spend more precious time with your family.
Offurknees,
Manchester, United Kingdom,
2 hours ago
I am confused, for many years no one wore “sun protection†of any kind, people of all ages would enjoy the sunshine..
Now, after years of health “adviceâ€, an abundance of “sun screens†shops full of SPF creams, the cases of skin cancer are rising dramatically.
Why is this?
Can someone please explain how, at a time when more people are “protecting†themselves, the number of melanoma victims is increasing, it defies logic to me.
Nineties kid,
Liverpool, United Kingdom,
2 hours ago
There’s people who have terminal cancer that would give anything to have a dint in their leg and survive to spend more time with their loved ones. Be grateful you overcome it and be proud to say you overcome it. I really don’t get some people…
Claudia,
West Midlands, United Kingdom,
2 hours ago
Whilst I can appreciate that scar may dent your confidence I am sure my father, who is unfortunately no longer with us due to cancer, would have jumped at having that scar and still being with us. Sometimes we have to see the blessings that we do have such as a second chance of life.
Lord Snooty,
Zurich, Switzerland,
2 hours ago
Why on earth did she let it get so bad after she first noticed it ?
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