Jane Murray, 46, from Dublin, never imagined that a seemingly ordinary mole on her arm would lead to a life-changing battle with cancer. A self-described “sun worshipper,” Jane dismissed the mole as nothing to worry about — until a concerned nurse friend urged her to get it checked.
That simple advice proved lifesaving. Jane was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer. The diagnosis meant she needed surgery not only to remove the mole but also to have lymph nodes in her arm taken out to ensure the cancer hadn’t spread.
The surgery left Jane with 77 stitches in her arm, a visible reminder of how dangerous skin cancer can be—even when the warning signs look normal. Thankfully, doctors have now confirmed there is no evidence of cancer remaining.
Jane’s story is a powerful reminder: never ignore suspicious skin changes, even if they seem harmless. Early detection can make all the difference.
“The doctor told me they weren’t sure what it was at first, but to be safe, they wanted to remove it at the hospital,” Jane Murray recalled. On December 3, she had the mole taken out — but that was only the beginning.
“When the doctor started telling me the diagnosis, I honestly didn’t think she was talking about me,” said Murray, a personal trainer. She was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma, which experts warn is the deadliest form of skin cancer because it can spread rapidly if not caught early.
According to VeryWell Health, “early treatment is essential.” When melanoma is detected while still confined to the original tumor on the skin, the five-year survival rate is an encouraging 99.6%. However, if it spreads to other parts of the body, survival rates plummet to around 35.1%.
In Jane’s case, doctors needed to remove lymph nodes from her arm to check if the cancer had spread. The surgery left her with 77 stitches — a tough reminder of how serious melanoma can be when ignored.
“This is a huge part of my arm — a reminder of how quickly things can change,” Murray said. “I woke up after surgery and realized my life was completely different from what I had imagined.”
The personal trainer openly regrets her years spent chasing the sun. “I was a sun worshipper,” she admitted. “On holidays, I’d soak up the sun from morning till night.” While she did use sunscreen, “any chance I got, I’d be outside in the garden, enjoying the rays.”
But now, she urges others to rethink their habits: “A sun tan fades within two weeks of returning home. It’s just not worth risking your health for something so temporary.”
