Catherine Coysh

Catherine Coysh

I was only 15 years old when my life changed for the worse due to melanoma. I often think about how different things would be if it didn’t exist!

My dad, Kelvin Cue, was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma on the 19th December 1999. He had a mole on the back of his shoulder all his life. When the mole started to change in colour and size, and often bled, he went to get it checked out. The GP at the time put a tie around it so it would drop off (this would never happen now).

But it kept growing back and bleeding, so he went to a different GP. It was cut out, at a depth of 10cms, but unfortunately it was too late. He went through radiation for a period of time and also went on a trial, travelling weekly with the hope that something would work.

The process went from bad to worse very quickly and it spread through his body. Despite that, he put on a brave front and seemed quite well until the last week of his life when he couldn’t fight any longer.

When diagnosed, he was told he may live another one to five years. He passed away one day short of a year from the diagnosis. He was 41 years old.

This year further highlighted to me the importance of skin checks with my own mini-scare. I recently sought medical advice after detecting a sore patch of skin on the tip of my nose that would not heal. It was a basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The fact that I was hypervigilant meant they were able to get it before it developed into something more serious.

I am determined to raise awareness around the importance of prevention and early detection of skin cancer through sun safe practices and regular skin checks. In saying that, I understand that early detection is not always possible, and therefore I will continue to advocate for treatment trials to be rolled out in Australia to address this disparity. 

Catherine Coysh