James' story - video transcript

James Cutler - Bury St Edmunds

My time as a young child was a very happy one spent outdoors in the summer.

[Footage of James as a child at the seaside]

I don't recall wearing floppy hats or long sleeved shirts or t-shirts during the summer.

I am incredibly lucky to be here. I think that my malignant melanoma was caught at absolutely the right moment. It was caught really early and it was dealt with really, really quickly but for so many people that isn’t the case and if it is allowed to continue and spread and go deeper into your skin, it can be fatal and it doesn't get much more serious than that.

I had an unusual mole on my leg, it was unlike any other moles that I had on my body. It was dark in the centre, it wasn't symmetrical and it was over-sized. I saw the consultant very, very promptly who then referred me to a surgeon, to have the mole removed and checked out for cancer.

[Footage of James' scar post-surgery]

I had malignant melanoma on my leg.

It was very shocking at the time and I think it was more shocking for my friends and family around me. 'Bullet proof James' doesn’t have problems like this. Many people were just knocked sideways by the fact that somebody so young and just a normal member of our relatively small community could have such a serious illness at such a young age, and yet appear outwardly to be entirely healthy.

If you’ve got any concerns about any moles on your body the doctors will take it very seriously even if it turns out to be not serious at all. The longer you leave it, the worse the treatment is going to be to try and resolve it and in the worse case scenario, the treatment won’t be successful and you could lose your life.

You don't have to be on a beach holiday in Greece to get burnt, it can certainly happen in the UK. I think there are things you can do to minimise the risk. You can look for some shade, you can put some high factor sun cream on and you can put a t-shirt on.

I think it's really important to enjoy the sun, but enjoy the sun safely.

Finding skin cancer early saves lives

Find out more about the signs of skin cancer and how to reduce your risk - www.sunsmart.org.uk (The SunSmart campaign is funded by the UK Health Departments)