Sydney mum may have escaped deadly melanoma thanks to strangers

Sydney mum may have escaped deadly melanoma thanks to strangers

A Sydney mother-of-two may have escaped the deadly effects of melanoma thanks to a chance encounter with strangers who prompted her into action.

Bronwyn Poulton, 33, attended a cancer fundraiser for a high school friend. Also in attendance was Jay Allen, a melanoma survivor who helped instigate the national ban on sunbeds.

Both were strangers in the crowd, but Mr Allen spotted the sinister looking mole on Ms Poulton’s arm. Despite some initial reluctance about approaching her, he walked over to the 33-year-old.

"I just had this gut instinct to go over to her and say look I'm not an expert but have you ever had that mole checked?" he said.

In the past, Ms Poulton had avoided getting the mole checked, using every excuse available despite her husband's insistence.

But she knew she couldn't avoid the issue any longer after Mr Allen held her hand and made her promise him she'll get it looked at.

"He introduced me to this couple who actually lost their son when he was 20, so that sort of struck a nerve being a mum," she recalled, tears rolling down her cheek.

Ms Poulton knew at that point she needed to get it done.

"Jay being a stranger at the time, it's more abrupt, it's more confronting when it's someone you don't know," she said.

Within days, the 33-year-old had her mole removed at her local skin cancer clinic.

"He suspected melanoma so he took it out that day, got it tested and it was," she said.

Ms Poulton is currently undergoing tests to see whether the cancer has spread.

The melanoma Mr Allen spotted was less than one millimetre deep. She wished she got it checked sooner, but is glad it has now been removed.

"I had an idea but I was being naive about it. Like I noticed it was getting darker," she said.