Thanks to a traveler she happened to meet, Molly Gray discovered her cancer. [Image source = Daily Star capture]
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A British woman was able to save her life by detecting skin cancer early thanks to a traveler she met during her trip.
On the 11th, major foreign media reported the story of a woman who discovered skin cancer early due to a passerby's remark while vacationing in the Philippines.
In December 2019, dance instructor Molly Gray was on vacation in the Philippines with her husband Steven when she heard an unexpected comment from a passerby.
The passerby said that a small mole on her knee looked like a sign of cancer. The traveler asked, "Have you had that mole for a long time? To me, it looks like cancer," but Molly initially brushed it off.
Molly recalled, "I was in my late twenties and never thought I would get cancer. At the time, I just took it as a passing comment."
However, even after the vacation ended, Molly couldn't stop thinking about the comment, and eventually visited a hospital in July last year.
The test results were shocking. She was diagnosed with skin cancer. A month later, she was diagnosed with stage 1b melanoma.
Fortunately, Molly received an early diagnosis before the cancer spread, and in November last year, the tumor was removed from her knee. Two lymph nodes were also removed from her groin.
Molly said, "My life changed forever when I was diagnosed with melanoma," adding, "Melanoma will now be something I have to live with for the rest of my life. I now have to get health check-ups every three months for the next five years, apply sunscreen in any weather, and continue taking vitamin D supplements."
Meanwhile, malignant melanoma can be surgically removed if detected early, but once metastasis begins, the mortality rate within one year can reach as high as 75%, making it highly fatal.
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