ART IN SOCIETY - MELANOMA

For my Art in Society project, I want to base it around the topic of Melanoma, as I believe that it needs to have more awareness out there.

My Mam was diagnosed with one of the most aggressive forms of cancer which is Invasive Superficial Spreading Malignant Melanoma (August 2015). Her diagnosis came from surprise as she went an appointment to get a completely different mole checked, however, her cancer specialist nurse found a very small mole on her back that my Mam never knew she had. She then went to get a dermatologists opinion on the mole, which 4 weeks later resulted in my mam getting the mole biopsied, then waited a further 6 weeks for the results from the biopsy. My Mam believed that she wouldn't have skin cancer and if she did shed have a minor one that was easily cut out, which is not the case with skin cancer. My mam get the results and it was the worst news she could possibly get "I'm sorry to say you have cancer", by the dermatologist, my Mam later told me that she felt like she was having an out of body experience looking at a woman 37 years of age with 3 children who needed her.

She went on to have a Wide Local Excision and a lymph node biopsy, whilst waiting for her results to see if cancer had spread she kept herself busy by organising a Macmillan event which raised £2000. She then got the news that her Melanoma had not spread and that she was NED (no evidence of disease), she will however never be cured of cancer. She then told me many months later that she thought she would be better after being told she had no evidence of disease, but however, this was not the case. Her Melanoma had affected her mental health, due to not having the security she needed, and being terrified of her family living their lives without her being there.

She continued working as a counsellor and threw herself back into work immediately and continuously having mental breakdowns. In January 2017 my brother who was 13 at the time went for a routine skin check (he has Junctional Naevus on his scalp), and the dermatologist was concerned about 3 moles, on his ankle, back and stomach. My Mam was devastated as she felt like this was her fault and caused her to have the worst mental breakdown she ever had due to spending too much time avoiding the topic of Melanoma and now my brother needed her more than ever, so she quit her job to take some time to recover and heal.

My brother was booked to have 3 biopsies at the University Hospital Durham, who was fantastic in taking good care of him, the 2 weeks later she received a letter to say the moles were not cancerous but were atypical. She states 'the relief was incredible, but I cannot describe the guilt I felt at my son having' rubbish skin like his Mam''.

She then took a month out of work and contemplated what the future meant for her, she realised that she is very passionate and motivated in helping people with Melanoma. She then met a guy who helped her in the making of MelanomaMe in April 2017 alongside her was her business partner/ best friend Elaine. They started off as a counselling and support service for patients of Melanoma and their families. within a few weeks, they were working 60 hours per week, voluntarily and took on another 4 counsellors who also work voluntarily.

The demand is very high, however funding is not and they are still relying on financial support through fundraising. They branched out into awareness and have visited numerous workplaces across the region, on the awareness of melanoma, and have worked with 50,000+ people spreading awareness of Melanoma.

Many people have stated 'it's only skin cancer', there is no only in melanoma. the truth is, it's deadly cancer, not just a skin cancer'. There is also no cure for this disease and no all clear, so when you have melanoma you know you are in it for the long haul.

The cancer specialist nurse, Carol saved my mams life as no one knew that mole existed, and I can't even begin to thank her so much for that!

Within this project, I want to spread awareness of Melanoma by painting different types of moles and what people can do to prevent themselves from getting this cancer as it is 86% preventable. I also would like to exhibit my artwork in my mams office building as it is very suitable since the company is spreading awareness of melanoma.