Patient Stories

I believe that carers do go through the stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

For experienced regional nurse Carolyn, good health and well-being have always been a priority. But in March 2025, her life changed with a diagnosis of ocular melanoma—a rare cancer she had never even heard of—discovered during a routine eye check.

I lost my Mum, Andeau Bowley to Metastatic Mucosal Melanoma in June 2024.

Karen’s husband David was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma. “David’s story began with a tick on his neck. He thought he had another one, but I found a tiny mole instead. I suggested he get it looked at. As I thought it looked different, the GP decided to biopsy it, even though she didn’t think it looked ‘bad’. The next morning, we got a phone call – it was melanoma.”

I was diagnosed with early stage melanoma in 2014. Eight years later, after experiencing pain in my hip, tests confirmed I had stage 4 melanoma.

Emma was diagnosed in 2020 with stage 2 melanoma after getting a mole on her arm checked that has been there for 15 years. This is her story.