Mum who had skin cancer in sun safety warning

A mother who survived skin cancer has urged people to make sure they protect themselves during the extreme heat.

Jacqui Padden, from Ormskirk, Lancashire, had a mole on her ankle that changed colour and started to bleed.

Despite having it removed immediately afterwards, the melanoma - which can be caused by excessive sun exposure - had spread to her lymph nodes.

Jacqui, 54, said: "I don't sunbathe and I've never used sunbeds but melanoma can still happen. That's why I want people to takes simple precautions."

Jacqui said the diagnosis - which came after her older son Steven, 33, encouraged her to go to the doctors - was "terrifying".

She said: "I started Googling melanoma and realised this was far more serious than I had ever understood."

After her surgery, Jacqui developed lymphoedema, a chronic condition that causes tissue swelling."

She while her confidence "took a knock", she was now "living life to the full".

But she said her "main goal is raising awareness", adding: "If sharing my story encourages even one person to get changes to their skin checked sooner, then it's worth it."

Jacqui, who is now campaigning about sun safety for Cancer Research, said it was "second nature to me to make sure I'm covered up, take time out in the shade in the middle of the day, and always have a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen with me."

She added that as well as following the same protection regime as her, people could check the ultraviolet rays index on their phones.

"If it's at three, which is moderate, then it's time to think about sun safety," she said. "Prevention is always better than treatment and catching melanoma early can make all the difference."

Seek shade - especially between 11:00 BST and 15:00 in the UK. Take a break under trees, umbrellas, and canopies, or go indoors.

Cover up – with clothes, a wide-brimmed hat and UV protection sunglasses. Clothing should cover your shoulders. The more skin that's covered by your clothing, the better the protection.

Apply sunscreen – with at least SPF 30 and 4 or 5 stars. Make sure to reapply it regularly and generously, especially after swimming, sweating, or towelling.

Claire Knight, of Cancer Research UK, said:  "It's important to use all three steps together, even on cloudy or cool days, because sunburn doesn't only happen when it's hot. "

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