After being diagnosed with skin cancer as a result of her frequent usage of tanning beds, a gorgeous young mother of two joyful kids has come forward to warn others. Shannon Masterton, 29, from Derry, Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, revealed that she used tanning beds twice weekly to obtain the glow she desired – but the impact was much more terrifying than she realized.
Masterton was diagnosed with melanoma in January 2020. She discovered that her cancer was a direct result of using tanning beds and now urges people not to use them, saying they’re simply not worth risking their lives over.
Kayla initially noticed symptoms before going on vacation with her pals. Masterson had a sunburn after she noticed a new spot on her skin while using a tanning bed. It was like a freckle that began to itch as she was away on vacation. She didn’t pay attention to it. The following year, the same sensation occurred in her calf. This time, however, it began to burn.
Masterson didn’t seek medical care because she was anxious about what the doctor would say, instead trying to push through the pain in her leg. Eventually, that part of her leg started going numb.
In December 2019, she decided to go see the doctor.
“At the appointment, I had three moles removed and biopsied, and the following week I got called in urgently to receive my results,” Masterson stated. “(The doctor) is truly the reason that my kids still have a healthy mum here today.”
She had a strong feeling that she was on the verge of death.
“I knew something must have been seriously wrong, and my heart sank,” she stated.
When she was 12, Masterson was visiting her mother at the doctor’s when she learned she had melanoma. She said that her life flashed before her eyes. She was concerned about whether or not her children would have a mother.
The doctors then asked her a question that she did not expect, whether or not she had used tanning beds. The oncologists were confident that the disease was caused by sun or tanning bed usage.
Shannon stated: “I didn’t think anything of my sunbed use. I thought because I only went on twice a week and didn’t use them all year round, it would be fine. I never imagined in a million years that this would be happening to me. I had never felt fear like I felt when I was told that I had skin cancer.”
Masterson would have died without the doctors.
“I’m so lucky that I caught it early enough and went to the doctors when my friend forced me to,” she said. “It could have been a very different story. I am so much more cautious now. I am always covered up, and so are my kids. It’s just not worth the risk. I’m in the all-clear at the minute, and I am grateful to the NHS for the regular check-ups I still have to this day. I’m also grateful to my friend, Aine, and everything she did for me. Life could have been very different if I didn’t have an earth angel as a friend.”
