Rotorua s Elizabeth Pillar shares message on melanoma ahead of hot summer
28 Dec, 2020 05:00 PM
7 minutes to read
Those are the powerful words Elizabeth Pilaar holds close when thinking of her son, Michael. He was 17 when diagnosed with melanoma after a large and rather ugly mole on his calf gave Elizabeth some concerns.
It had been there for years before she realised, in 2015, it had grown bigger. I will always regret not having acted earlier.
Michael had the mole removed but it was after testing doctors realised the gravity of the situation and he was soon diagnosed with melanoma.
Operations to remove the cancerous cells from his leg and small deposits around his groin were quickly done. The prognosis appeared good and come Christmas, he thought he was in the clear.