National Sales Manager for Long Rake Spar/Natural Selection, Shane McCormick has decided to share his story during Skin Cancer Awareness month, because in his words, “If just one person sees this, changes their behaviour, and saves themselves as a result, then it’s worth it.”
Shane was first diagnosed with skin cancer in 2017 after 13 years of being a Landscape Gardener. Shane had switched roles about eight years before the skin cancer diagnosis but the damage of 13 years working outside without sun protection had already been done. Shane admits that he never considered using sunscreen or covering up when it was sunny.
If just one person sees this, changes their behaviour, and saves themselves as a result, then it’s worth it.
In April 2017 Shane visited the doctor after discovering a new mole on his back and a new freckle on his face. Originally Shane went to see if he could get the freckle removed as he was more concerned about his appearance rather than thinking it was anything serious. However, Shane’s GP was concerned by the mole on his back, and he was referred to Winchester Hospital where he had the mole removed in a biopsy. It was just before the bank holiday weekend in May 2017 when he was asked to come in for his results.
Shane and wife Denise were due to go away for the weekend and stopped off at the hospital on the way to get the results. Shane said “I really didn’t expect it to be anything serious. We didn’t even tell the kids about it because we thought it would be nothing.” When they arrived for the appointment, a doctor took them into a private room and explained that Shane had melanoma – one of the worst types of skin cancer as it can travel. “I was so shocked. It was a lot to digest” he said.
When further tests revealed the cancer had been removed during the biopsy, Shane says he breathed a sigh of relief. He added, “It was a wake-up call to me that I needed to protect my skin from the sun and immediately after my diagnosis, I started wearing sun cream regularly.”
Shane had two years after that of thinking that everything was fine. However, in November 2019, Shane woke one morning to find a lump under his right arm, which had appeared overnight. Shane said “I think I was in denial because I dismissed it and even went to work the following day. But I couldn’t get the niggling thought out of my mind, so I left work and drove straight to Southampton General Hospital.” At the hospital, Shane underwent tests and was asked to come back when the results were ready.
It was December 23rd when the hospital asked Shane to return. He added “My wife and I were nervously sat in the waiting room when they called my name. They said that the lump was a tumour and the cancer had returned. It had spread to my lymph nodes. The world just came crashing down around me. One minute I had thought everything was great and wonderful, the next minute I was finding out the cancer had spread and that I would require an operation.” Shane admits that he was scared for his family, for himself, what would happen to the family home – will they be okay financially? He said “It is one of those moments that you’ll never forget; my wife was distraught, and the overriding emotion I felt was fear. I was frightened. It became very real, very quickly”.
Shane’s surgery to remove the cancerous lump was scheduled for the first week of January in 2020. He said: “To say it was a rough Christmas is an understatement. I just wanted to get the surgery over and done with.” During the operation, Shane had further surgery to the affected area on his back, plus 24 lymph nodes were removed, including lymph nodes in his groin to check to see if the cancer had travelled.
The results of the procedure were positive. Shane said “I feel very lucky. All looked well after the operation and, once I’d recovered, I went through immunotherapy in March 2020, which was intravenous, so I was put on a drip. Since then, I’ve had the all-clear which was just incredible.”
Shane now goes every six months for a scan, as he has been told he is prone to get more melanomas due to the sun damage he already has. This means a two-week “scan-xiety” wait for the results. “You’re thinking – ‘when will the luck run out’?” added Shane.
Shane now wears a lymphoedema sleeve over his right arm where his lymph nodes were removed, which puts pressure on his limb to keep the lymph flowing, and he cannot sit in the sun. He said: “I have to be very careful. I now wear long-sleeved tops, sit under umbrellas and am covered in factor 50 sun cream. “Long gone are the days of working topless in the garden.”
A national survey by Melanoma UK and builders merchant Jewson has found up to 60 per cent of UK tradespeople working outdoors are not checking their skin for signs of cancer, despite the increased risk. They also found that more than 30 per cent of construction workers are not using sun protection on site.
Some Builders Merchants such as Jewson’s now stock sunscreen at all their branches, which means if you’re buying materials, you can buy sunscreen at the same time.
Shane hopes to raise awareness of the risk of skin cancer for outdoor workers, saying: “Twenty years ago, skin cancer wasn’t talked about much on the job site and, I wasn’t interested in having conversations around the dangers of sun exposure.” Attitudes are starting to change, but the construction industry is one that is male dominated, and this has an element of bravado. And there are a lot of people who think it won’t happen to them because it is such a difficult thing to imagine.
Skin cancer can develop from existing moles, but in 70% of cases it appears as new marks on the skin. Experts recommend doing a skin check once a month. Skin is not designed for prolonged exposure to the sun, so we are urging outdoor workers to keep their shirts on and treat sun cream as a form of PPE, in the same way as a hard hat or safety boots.
