”Unfortunately, it came back as melanoma.” Up to 70% of all melanomas are first identified by the patient themselves or close family member, and this was the case with Kate and her mother. “Kate had a mole that didn’t look quite right that she pointed out to me in January of 2011. It was on her stomach. I advised her that it needed to be checked. She had it checked and was told to keep an eye on it. In April I had another look at it and it had changed. At that time I felt it needed to be checked by a dermatologist which in turn led to her diagnosis of melanoma.” As difficult as that was to hear, Kate was fortunate enough to have caught it in the first stage and it was removed without further complications. However, the lives of an entire family were changed forever. “We were obviously shocked with the diagnosis and of course feared the worst. Kate was beyond devasted as she felt that indoor tanning actually prevented skin cancer so that was never on her radar. That was the beginning of more testing and surgery and now a life long worry and vigilence in watching for any changes on her skin.” Both Kate and Diana are always on guard, examining each and every spot that either exists or appears. “Kate will say, “this one’s changed.” And I’ll say, OK we’re just going to have to take them off. What’s the point, we can watch for it to change further, but basically any changes in moles or new ones need to be checked and most likely removed.”
Kate’s parents, Diana and Ralph Neale. Due to her extensive tanning and the damage done to her skin, she is at an increased risk of reoccurrence. She will be self monitoring as well as every 6 months she will be examined by a dermatologist. When asked how they would give this message to the other parents of teens who wanted to tan, Diana replies first, “It’s hard to tell people what to do but the rays emitted by tanning beds are carcinogens so no different then smoking. So what would you tell your kids if they were going to start smoking? It’s hard as parents with teenagers. They hear the stuff they want to hear . I think you have to look at it like, it’s a carcinogen, it’s bad for you. I wish we had
known how dangerous indoor tanning was before Kate started.” Ralph also weighs in, “It’s peer pressure too, that’s hard to fight. Teenage girls in high school and you get one or two girls that are all tanned up and the others all want that... looks are everything at that age.” Although not an experience that she would have wished for, Kate has seized the opportunity to use this experience in a positive way. Kate has become associated with the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Melanoma Foundation, and New Democratic MPP France Gélinas who has put forth a private member’s bill that would raise the legal tanning age to 18 across Canada. Kate has become the face of the fight against indoor tanning. She has received much media attention, having been on CTV, CBC and in most major newspapers across Ontario. Kate has also been to Queen’s Park to support the bill. “It was very overwhelming,” said Diana of their day at Queen’s Park, “we had no idea of how that day was going to go.” and the support and attention that Kate ended up bringing to the cause. “The whole thing has really gotten bigger than you would have ever anticipated,” said Ralph, of all the media attention. “I think she’s used it as a tool to get the word out to others,” said Ralph, who is obviously a very proud father. “I think she’s making the best of it, she’s done it the right way.”
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