I was 28 when I went to my GP after a mole on my arm which was starting to itch. A friend of mine, Jennifer, noticed that I was scratching, I had not even realised and after a couple of weeks of her nagging and thinking that she was just being the over cautious mothering type, I gave in and went.

My GP didn't think it was anything when I saw her at my local surgery in February 2003 but I insisted she take it out as a precautionary measure and to this day I thank God I did.

A week later the results were back and I was told I had MM, I think back and realise how ignorant I had been about the damage the sun can do. I'm blue-eyed reddish hair and extremely fair skin, a classic candidate you might say. The MM was 1.1mm thick and I was sent to my local hospital in Oxford which has a superb Plastic Surgery Unit.

They opted for a Wide Local Excision and a Sentinel Node Biopsy just to be on the safe side but were very positive that all would be well and there was very little chance of any spread. The week before I went in for my op and I discovered a lump on my clavicle and they decided to do an excision while I was under just to see.

Two weeks later, I returned to see my surgeon, my husband holding my hand knowing that all would be OK but just wanting the result so I could get on with my life. The WLE was clear as was the SNB. However, the same could not be said of the lump that was on my clavicle, the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes and the doctors were extremely surprised as my primary site had been so thin. I had just been told that I now had Stage III Cancer and that I was now much more at risk of it spreading rapidly. I don't mind saying now that I cried my heart out.

I had a CT scan and was booked in for a Radical Left Neck (LRND) Dissection where they would remove a substantial number of nodes from my neck.

I cannot describe the state that I was in. People around me seemed to be falling apart and I just had to get on with things, I have two small children, I run my own business and a busy household. I didn't give myself the chance to think about things and just kept going.

When I went into hospital I was calm and just wanted it over with. Unfortunately a RND is a very serious operation and I awoke in the middle of the night and I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't speak. The nurse was shouting my name, she called a doctor and all I could was move my eyes. Turned out that I had had a stroke and I had lost all mobility in my right hand and my speech. It was terrifying. Fortunately, it was a minor stroke and I had complete use of my hand within 3 weeks. The doctor's said I had age on my side and I was determined that this was not going to beat me. I forgot all about the reason for my being in hospital and just kept working really hard with my speech therapist and now 3 1/2 months later I have made a 98% recovery from the stroke.

Good news too about the nodes they had removed, they all came back clear and I am now fully on the road to recovery. I am being seen at the hospital once a month and have decided to reject the offer to go on an Interferon Trial that is currently running in the UK. I know that I am in good hands and am now in the routine of checking my moles regularly, we will catch any changes early this time!

I have returned to work as a driving instructor and my life is getting back to normal. I have a constant reminder every time I look in the mirror as I have a significant scar down the front of my neck, but when I think what could have been if I had not gone to my GP when I did. We have changed our attitude to the sun completely and my 5 and 7 year olds' now know the importance of hats, shirts and sun cream. My neighbours and everyone on the estate where I live know what I have been through and if they can learn from my experience and be more responsible in the sun then it has been worth while.

With love and thanks to my friend Jennifer

Michelle