Man reveals terminal cancer diagnosis after his hairdresser found mole
By the time hairstylist Nicholas Smithson noticed a jagged mole on his neck, it was too late — and now the 38-year-old has only six months to live.
The boiler maker from Rockhampton, Queensland, said his hairstylist urged him to check out the mole.
But when he called the doctors, they told him, “No need to worry.”
Nicholas Smithson, pictured, had a deceptive mole removed after his hairdresser pushed him to get it checked – but the operation came too late
In fact, the trader told The Courier Mail that he went to two doctors within 11 days after noticing the growth had doubled in size – only to be separated.
Nicholas decided to go see a skin specialist who took a biopsy right away.
The results showed that the growth was a nodular melanoma and that it had spread outside the black mole to the lymph nodes.
He said doctors explained a “worst-case scenario” after the cancer was discovered, leaving him in shock.
I remember looking at my partner and saying, “I’m going to die, this is going to kill me.”
We went to my house and stared at the blank wall and wept.
After lymph nodes were removed, Nicholas found another lump behind his ear – revealing when he realized how dangerous things were about to become.
A PET scan revealed that the cancer had spread throughout his body, to many of his organs and even the spine
What are the symptoms of nodular skin cancer?
See a doctor right away if you have a bump, growth, mole, or skin lesion:
Larger than most normal moles or spots on your body
It used to be flat but now it’s higher or thicker than it was before
be dome-shaped or have a fixed agglomeration either in a single color (black, brown, red, pink or flesh-colored) or a combination of colors (eg, blue-black, brown-red)
Whether it has a smooth or rough, scaly surface that has changed its appearance itching or stinging.
He was rushed to Brisbane where he underwent a bilateral neck dissection – a 10-hour operation to remove the lymph nodes in his neck.
Eleven days later, he noticed another growth behind his ear.
A PET scan showed that he had cancer and he could no longer expect treatments to lead to a cure.
In August, doctors gave him six months to live.
“It’s like in the movies when people get bad news, they just break up,” he said.
He admitted that he randomly called his friends in the hope of comfort, and even asked the local funeral director if there was any evidence of an afterlife.
Nicholas has always wanted to travel, so his friends started GoFundMe to help him “live” before he died.
They raised $17,000 after setting a $5,000 goal to help the boilermaker “mark some items on their bucket list.”
Nodular melanomas can spread to major organs within three months, according to Healthline.
