County Durham woman urging people to stay safe in the sun as temperatures rise this weekend
Karen Read is raising awareness of the dangers of sun damage
A woman from County Durham is sharing her story of being diagnosed with Melanoma, a form of skin cancer, to try and persuade others to seek medical help if they notice any changes to moles on their body.
As the temperatures are set to rise ahead of the Easter Holidays she is urging others to take precautions whilst enjoying the sunshine.
Karen Read was diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer, after noticing changes to moles on her leg and chest.
She is now raising awareness on the dangers of sun damage and tells us why it is important to protect yourself against the sun.
Karen said: "I know a lot of people think that skin cancer isn’t serious, but if you don’t protect your skin, you’re putting yourself at risk from any type of skin cancer and especially melanoma, which can spread to your major organs.
"I had a freckle on my thigh and one on my chest that had been there for a long time.
"It did change colour, and it went darker, but I still didn’t think that it was anything until my son said that it didn’t look right, and he made me go to the doctors.
"It impacts your family when you’re sat in that room, and they tell you it’s melanoma as it’s a shock.
"You only burn once in the sun, and you put yourself in that category later in life that you could get skin cancer. Anybody can get it.
"Prevention is better than cure, just pop that sun cream on."