Man Discovers A Small 'Sun Spot' On His Neck, Finds Out It Is Skin Cancer

Nov 23, 2019

An Australian man has used his harrowing battle with skin cancer to raise awareness of the seriousness of the deadly disease.

The small spot on the back of his neck quickly turned into a nightmare for the resident of Perth after he had to have four surgeries and 40 biopsies to remove the cancerous cells from his skin. Thankfully, early detection helped him beat the disease, but not without a lot of pain and terrible consequences.

37-year-old Ryan Gosslop was diagnosed with melanoma during a routine health screening at work according to TODAY.

Because skin cancer often spreads to healthy skin around the infected area, doctors had to take out large chunks of Ryan’s skin. In a gruesome photo posted to social media, Ryan shows his back and neck before skin before skin grafts were performed, revealing the terrible toll the disease took on his body. The disease was so harmful to Ryan that he even had to have a surgery on one of his lungs when doctors feared that cancerous cells might have spread to his respiratory system.

Fallon, Ryan’s wife, wrote in a Facebook post that their family was not ready for the great harm that melanoma inflicted on Ryan. Fallon said that she and Ryan are looking at the positive side of the disease, which is the opportunity that it affords them to raise public awareness of the dangers of melanoma and exposure to too much sun. Providing scientific data, Fallon highlighted the importance of regular skin checks, noting that melanoma accounts for about 10 percent of all cancers diagnosed in the world.

Addressing Ryan’s own experience, Fallon wrote how doctors had to remove so much of his skin because they determined that he had a condition called nevus spilus. Those with nevus spilus are more likely to develop lesions on their skin. While nevus spilus rarely contributes to melanoma, doctors found that in Ryan’s case, the condition was transitioning to cancer. Throughout it all, Fallon said that Ryan kept his cool, becoming a pillar strength despite his painful condition and intense treatment.

What do you think of Ryan’s story? Do you get regular checkups for melanoma? What do you think is the best way for everyday people to minimize their chances of getting skin cancer? Be sure to tell others about preventative measures.