Man who found mole on back after holiday has just months to live
A man has been told he has just months to live after being diagnosed with skin cancer at the age of 24.
Andy Prowting, from Havant, Hampshire, noticed a mole on his back five months after a summer holiday in Turkey, where he said he got sunburn.
Speaking to Portsmouth's The News, he said he first saw the mole in January and believes it came after he was sunburnt.
"I was in Turkey last July and even though I was applying sunscreen every hour, I got burnt," he said.
"In January I felt something on my back and got my mum to check.
"There was a mole and we kept checking it and noticed it was growing a lot and I went to see my doctor."
The Daily Mail reports that Andy is now trying to raise money for treatment in America, which could save his life.
"Without treatment I have got about nine months to live, which is scary and upsetting," he said.
Andy needs £60,000 for a trip to the Burzynski Clinic in Houston, Texas, where he can get treatment to stop the disease from growing.
His family have set up a fundraising page and have raised around £12,000.
According to the NHS, more than 70,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the UK each year. Sun exposure is thought to be responsible for most cases.
People most at risk of developing ski cancer are those with very fair skin that burns easily, those who have had several cases of sunburn during childhood, those with a family history of skin cancer, those with lots of moles on their body (more than 50) and those who are being treated with immunosuppressant medication.
Related articles
Why sunshine is as addictive as heroin
Sunburn competition banned after complaints
