Simple warning led to model’s stunning cancer diagnosis: ‘So shocked’

A young Australian woman has opened up about how her friend’s skin cancer scare led to a chilling discovery.

Sydney influencer Katrina Chan, 30, had put off getting her skin checked for years due to the cost.

But she was pushed to get assessed after her friend Stephanie Adams, 29, discovered a questionable-looking mole on her foot was precancerous.

Ms Chan then forked out about $200 for the first full-body check and was stunned when they found a melanoma spot.

“I was just so shocked” she said.

She has since had the cancerous mole removed and now estimates she has spent more than $1000 in total since then, with the cost covering a GP consultation, mole mapping, cancer removal surgery and check-ups every three months.

“It is quite a bit now, I’m going every three months,” she said.

Each time she goes in for a check-up she has to fork out two payments – one for her GP and the other for the private skin care clinic. She gets about $40 back from Medicare on a total outlay of $400.

Her private health insurance doesn’t cover any of the cost.

Despite the rising cost, she’s grateful to her friend for giving her the push to get checked as it just may have saved her life.

“It might be expensive now to get checked but if there is actually something wrong, it’s going to be so much more expensive to try and fix it.”

She said she grew up wearing sunscreen but now realizes, like many Australians, she never took it too seriously.

She also held the misinformed belief her olive skin would help keep her safe from the harsh effects of the sun.

“I only started wearing sunscreen every single day on my face when I was about 25,” she said.

“But not so much on my body, I only really wore it on my body when I was directly in the sun,” Ms Chan said.

Ms Adams, who originally gave her the nudge to get her skin checked, has also spent about $1000 out of pocket getting checked and having cancers removed.

A mole on her foot was the push she needed at age 27 to book an appointment.

She was told she had nothing to worry about due to her age.

However, she knew in her gut something was not right and booked in at the private clinic.

After a full host of tests, she was told the mole on her foot was in fact precancerous.

“The only reason I went through with it was because I thought, ‘if this is gonna keep me alive, it’s obviously worth doing it,” she said.

“Now I tell other friends to go and get their skin checked.”

Her warning comes as more Australians admit to avoiding the doctor as more GPs stop bulk-billing due to the rising cost of care and a decade-long freeze on Medicare rebates.

Healthcare directory Cleanbill found that 514 clinics that bulk-billed all their patients in early 2023 have now stopped, according to a new report released this week.

With more people skipping lifesaving preventive checks, the rate of delayed diagnosis of skin cancer is expected to climb.

Already more than 16,000 Australians are expected to be diagnosed with skin cancer in 2024.

The Melanoma Institute Australia are calling on the government to make screening more affordable for high-risk patients, including those with a family history or fairer skin complexion.

The Melanoma Institute recommends Australians “get to know the skin you are in” and visit their GP or skin specialist if thye notice something changing or are concerned with a particular mole or lesion.

All Australians can get an assessment of their own melanoma risk by completing the free and simple risk calculator at https://melanomarisk.org.au/