Bob's counting his lucky stars

WHEN Hampshire man Bob Bunce wandered into a mole-checking service set up at WestQuay's Marks & Spencer he never imagined it would turn out to be one of the most important days of his life.

The 71-year-old from Bishopstoke, Eastleigh, stopped off at the store to get his moles examined after reading about a mole watch day in the Daily Echo.

Now he is counting his lucky stars that he saw the paper and went along - because he was diagnosed with Basal Cell Carcinoma - a form of skin cancer that needs treatment to remove a malignant mole.

Bob, who lives with his wife, Joan, 67, in Church Road, said: "I read about it in the Echo and decided to go along and I'm glad I did. I don't sunbathe now - I'm very careful. But consultants have told me that my sunbathing 25 years ago has started to take effect now. It is a message to everyone that sunbathing can affect them even years down the line."

Now that he knows he has the condition, Bob will need to go to hospital for a biopsy and surgery to remove the mole before it spreads.

He has already had one removed and knows how important it is to get them treated as soon as possible.

His GP told him just a few days before that he would need to get the sinister looking mole looked at and health experts from Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust's dermatology department at the mole watch service were able to confirm his fears.

Of the 215 people that turned up to be checked at the Sunsmart Campaign headed by Cancer Research UK and the Department of Health - Bob was just one of six people who took a break from their shopping and found out they had skin cancer before it was too late.

Five people, two men and three women, were told they had actual melanomas - the most serious form of skin cancer that can be life threatening.

But in taking a few minutes out of their shopping trip to get checked out - the mole watch day may well have helped save their lives.

It's a sobering thought.

Bob said: "The mole watch day was a brilliant idea. There seemed to be a lot of people there but the only problem was they were mostly older people. I think something needs to be done to get the message across to the younger generation.

"My granddaughter loves sunbathing but since I got skin cancer I think the message is finally getting through that it is not safe. But we need to go into schools and the work place to make people more aware. The sun can be very dangerous. But until something like this happens to you - no one takes any notice."

He added: "We spend a lot of time in Australia and they are so hot on the dangers of sunbathing there. They have patrols on the beach that advise parents on how to protect their children from the sun and even tell people to cover up. They also keep an eye on people's moles and tell them if they think they need to get a check-up. We need that sort of thing here."

Almost 7,000 people in the UK were diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2000 and the numbers are steadily rising.

But if it is caught early it can be treated effectively and cured.

Leading dermatologist from Cancer Research UK, Dr Charlotte Proby, said although the message is slowly getting through there is still widespread ignorance about the dangers of sunburn: "We need to ensure that the public knows how to reduce their risk. This year the Sunsmart Campaign will be urging people to protect themselves and their children in the sun and to be aware of any changes in existing moles or new ones appearing."

But organisers have declared the mole watch day at West Quay an overwhelming success with a total of 64 men and 151 women taking part.

About 47 of these were referred to their GP or a consultant dermatologist for further treatment.

Macmillan Skin Cancer are urging the public to follow the SunSmart guidelines:

Stay in the shade between 11am to 3pm.

Make sure you never burn.

Always cover up with a T-shirt, wide brimmed hat and wraparound sunglasses.

Take extra care with children.

Use factor 15 plus sunscreen.