CARRYING THE TORCH

At 15 Justine Sheils would pop out for a sunbed session during her school lunch break. She’s had skin cancer twice and feels lucky to be alive. The NHS administrator is horrified at the rise in young people using sunbeds.

My auntie had a tanning salon nearby so I would regularly pop on the beds . On holiday I’d wear oil and burn.”

In her early 30s Justine found a mark on her chest and was referred to a dermatologist. “He told me I had the skin of an 80 year old and skin cancer. He said had I left it much longer I’d have lost both my breasts. “

She was treated but has had persistent headaches. A relative noticed a bald patch on her scalp. It was skin cancer that had rooted in her head. She had major surgery and was left with epilepsy.

Justine became an ambassador for Cancer Research UK. In 2012 she carried the Olympic torch for her relentless campaigning for sunbed regulation. She’s saddened so many people still use sunbeds and wants her story to be a warning.

“I have a wonderful network including my lovely mum. I wake up every day with a positive outlook, but there’s part of my life during my 30s and 40s that was taken away by cancer. I grieve for those lost years.”

Cancer Research UK: cancerresearchuk.org