December 16, 2024 • 33 mins
Uncover the alarming truth behind melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, in our compelling conversation with Claudia Tolhurst, Executive Officer at the Hunter Melanoma Foundation. Join us as we shine a light on why melanoma is referred to as Australia's "national cancer" and explore the foundation's dedicated mission to combat this aggressive disease. Claudia shares eye-opening statistics and invaluable insights into the importance of early detection and the role of sun-safe practices in reducing skin cancer fatalities.
Equip yourself with essential sun protection knowledge in this episode that could save lives, especially in climates as harsh as Australia’s. Claudia and I discuss practical sun safety measures, such as UPF 50+ clothing, sunscreen, and the crucial need for education, particularly for children. Learn about the impactful community initiatives from the Hunter Melanoma Foundation, including the upcoming Spot Check campaign offering free skin checks, and discover how you can contribute to the fight against melanoma.
In a world where awareness is key, discover a wealth of educational programs designed to promote skin health and melanoma awareness. We explore resources like the SWAP program for outdoor workers and the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network's offerings. Personal stories bring the discussion to life, underscoring the message to "check and protect your skin." Tune in for practical tips, such as using photographs to monitor suspicious skin changes, and be inspired to raise awareness in your community.
Claudia and her team are here to guide you through understanding and prioritising your skin health, ensuring that melanoma prevention is a part of everyday life.
You can get in contact with the Hunter Melanoma Foundation by phone on: 02 4985 0103 by emailing: info@hmf.org.au. Alternatively visit the website https://hmf.org.au/ for more info.
Thank you for listening!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Leon Goltsman (00:00):
Good morning, good afternoon or good evening,
wherever you are, and welcomeback to another episode of
Engaging Conversations, aprogram where we talk to people
who are out there making a realdifference in their communities
and beyond.
I'm your host, leon Goltsman,and today's episode is proudly
brought to you by Lake MacBusiness Focus, shining a light
(00:20):
on organisations that help makeour world a better place.
Now let me start with asobering thought.
While melanoma accounts foronly 3% of all diagnosed skin
cancers, it tragically causes65% of all skin cancer deaths.
Australia holds the unfortunatetitle of having the highest
(00:40):
melanoma rates per capita in theworld.
It's a title, as today's guestwill passionately remind us,
that we do not want to keep.
Today, I am honored to introduceClaudia Tolhurst, executive
Officer at the Hunter MelanomaFoundation, a leader in raising
awareness, supporting familiesand saving lives through
(01:01):
education and early detection.
Claudia brings a crucialmessage, especially now, as
we're in the summer months, atime when the risks are higher
and awareness is more importantthan ever.
In today's episode, we'lldiscuss the early warnings of
melanoma, the impact of earlydetection and how prioritizing
your health can make all thedifference.
(01:22):
It's a conversation that trulysaves lives.
So, without further ado, let'sdive into this powerful and
timely discussion with ClaudiaTolhurst.
Let's learn together how we canprotect ourselves and our loved
ones.
Claudia Tolhurst (01:37):
So my name is Claudia Tolhurst and I'm the
Executive Officer of the HunterMelanoma Foundation, and I've
been in this role for just overfive years, and prior to that I
spent four years on the HMFcommittee.
Our mission here at theMelanoma Foundation is to defeat
melanoma.
We want to reduce the incidenceof death by melanoma and we do
(02:00):
that in several ways.
So there are four arms to thework that we do.
We provide support to theNewcastle Melanoma Unit, which
is based here at the MaterHospital.
We provide funding for localresearch to HMRI and University
of Newcastle's Professor NicolaBowden, who does a lot of great
(02:22):
work in melanoma research.
We provide patient supportservices to melanoma patients
and their families.
Now, that could be practicalsupport in the form of transport
to treatment, it could behelping them with some medical
costs, it could be helping themwith house cleaning or lawn
mowing, those sorts of thingswhen they're undergoing
(02:44):
treatment, and it could beemotional support.
So we have connections to theHunter Cancer Hub where we can
refer people to differentorganisations if they need
assistance them and their familymembers and we run a support
group which also provides themwith a safe space to talk with
other melanoma patients andtheir families.
(03:04):
And the final part of what wedo and it's probably the largest
part of what we do is educatethe community about prevention
and early detection of melanoma.
Leon Goltsman (03:15):
So, from all the great things that you do, what
exactly is melanoma and why isit considered one of the most
dangerous types of skin cancer?
Claudia Tolhurst (03:22):
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer.
Now there are three main typesof skin cancer.
They're basal cell carcinomas,or BCCs, which are the most
diagnosed.
There are squamous cellcarcinomas, which are SCCs, and
they are the second mostdiagnosed.
And then there's melanoma, andwhilst melanoma is the least
(03:43):
diagnosed, it's the most deadly.
So it only represents 3% ofskin cancers diagnosed, but
melanoma accounts for 65% ofskin cancer deaths.
So it's the most dangerousbecause it travels very quickly
and if it's left untreated itcan enter the lymphatic system
(04:05):
and it can spread to other partsof the body where it becomes
very hard to treat.
Leon Goltsman (04:10):
And you've just answered one of my questions
about statistics, but can youalso share some stories that
highlight the prevalence andimpact of melanoma in Australia
and globally?
Claudia Tolhurst (04:20):
Yeah, so Australia has the highest
incidence per capita of melanomain the world.
We are right up there at numberone.
It's really good to be worldchampions at things like rugby
union and swimming and all thosesorts of things, but when it
comes to melanoma, it's a titlethat we don't want.
(04:42):
So per capita, we have very,very high rates of melanoma and
it's actually known as ournational cancer because of that.
So the thing with melanoma isit's one of the most preventable
cancers.
So 90% of people who have amelanoma have it removed
successfully really early, andthey live a normal life with no
(05:02):
further ramifications.
It's the 10% of people thatleave it too long before they
get checked that are leftfighting for their life
basically.
So this is where our preventionmessage comes in.
It is totally preventable andit's just a matter of getting
our sun safe message out thereso that people A can prevent it,
(05:23):
but B so that we get that earlydetection message out there.
So people are seeing thingsearly and having them removed
before they becomelife-threatening.
Leon Goltsman (05:34):
It's all about priorities, and the priority
that I'm hearing here is getyourself checked out.
Claudia Tolhurst (05:40):
Yeah, priorities to get yourself
checked, because we live in aworld where here in Newcastle,
in particular in the Hunterregion, we have traditionally
always had high rates ofmelanoma and in fact in the
1980s when the Hunter MelanomaFoundation was formed, it was
because we had the highest ratesof melanoma in the country.
Interestingly, the data that'sbeen released on that recently
(06:02):
shows that in New South Wales,port Stephens is sitting at
number 12.
We've got Lake Macquariesitting at 15.
We have Cessnock sitting around20 and Newcastle's around 25.
So we have actually droppeddown the list but we're still in
those top 25 LGAs in the statewhen it comes to melanoma
(06:24):
diagnosis.
Now, a lot of that is to dowith the fact that we do live an
outdoor lifestyle and we're nottelling people go and hide
inside.
We're just saying when you dogo out, you need to slip, slop,
slap, seek and slide and lookafter your skin so that your
future self isn't fighting amelanoma diagnosis.
Leon Goltsman (06:45):
So I suppose this message is really going out to
everybody.
Claudia Tolhurst (06:49):
Absolutely.
Queensland actually has Ibelieve it's Townsville has the
highest rates of melanoma in thecountry now.
So we really need to get thismessage out Australia-wide and
we need to be learning toprotect our skin and having
those regular skin checks.
Leon Goltsman (07:07):
And Claudia, we've heard the word melanoma
get thrown around a lot and noteverybody knows what it is.
I mean, hopefully, by the endof this episode of this podcast,
this conversation that we'rehaving, more and more people
will understand.
But still, what have you foundto be some of the misconceptions
people have about sunscreen andhow can they apply it properly
(07:29):
to ensure maximum protection?
Claudia Tolhurst (07:32):
Yeah, there are so many misconceptions out
there about sunscreen and ratherthan go into the misconceptions
, I might just focus on thethings that we should be doing.
So sunscreen has an expiry date.
If you're applying a sunscreenthat's past its expiry date,
it's doing absolutely nothingfor you.
In Australia, it is illegal tosell sunscreen unless it has the
(07:55):
expiry date noted on the bottleor the tube somewhere.
So always check that yoursunscreen is in date.
That's rule number one.
If you're using a chemicalsunscreen, it needs to be
applied 20 minutes before you gooutside, because it takes 20
minutes for the chemicals toreact and to activate so that
you're covered.
Now, the difference between achemical and a mineral sunscreen
(08:18):
is that the chemical sunscreensoaks into your skin and it
absorbs UV rays so that itdoesn't damage your DNA in your
skin.
A physical sunscreen is asunscreen.
That's.
The main ingredient is zincoxide, so it's a thicker feeling
sunscreen and it actually sitson the surface of your skin and
(08:39):
reflects UV away from your skin.
Now zincs can be applied andcan take effect immediately.
So if it's a zinc sunscreen,you can put it on and go out.
If it's a chemical sunscreen,you need to put it on and you
need to wait 20 minutes beforeyou go out so that you can
ensure that it's activatedbefore you go outside.
(09:00):
The other big thing is whetherwe're applying enough sunscreen.
So it actually takes 35 mils ofsunscreen on a regular adult
body to ensure you're covered.
So that's five mils ofsunscreen for each body part.
So five mils for your head,neck, ears Please don't forget
your ears, because we see a lotof skin cancers around the ears
(09:25):
Five mils for each of your arms,each of your legs, the front of
your torso and the back of yourtorso.
Now, five mils is about ateaspoon, but if you actually
pull out a syringe and suck fivemils out of a sunscreen bottle
and squeeze it into your hand,you would be alarmed at the
amount of sunscreen in your hand.
(09:45):
It is equivalent to two 50 centpieces stacked on the palm of
your hand.
So it's a fair bit of sunscreen.
So a lot of people say to me oh,I put sunscreen on and I still
got sunburned.
And my question to them is didyou check the expiry date?
Did you put it on 20 minutesbefore you go outside and did
you apply enough?
Now the other rule is that werecommend everybody applies
(10:09):
sunscreen and reapplies it everytwo hours, even if the bottle
says four hours.
Reapply it every two hours,probably more often if you're
swimming, you're sweating oryou're toweling and wiping it
off, so reapply it.
Check the expiry date, makesure you're applying enough and
make sure you're putting it on20 minutes before you go outside
.
The other thing is that there'sa push in the beauty industry
(10:32):
at the moment for young ladiesto wear foundations, bb creams,
those sorts of things that havegot an SPF 50 plus in them, and
whilst we think that's great,are you putting enough of that
on?
I can guarantee, if you'reputting foundation on with an
SPF 50 plus in it, you would notbe using five mils of
(10:54):
foundation on your face.
So it's better to put thesunscreen on first and then
apply the foundation or the BBcream on the top of that.
So if you check the UV ratingeach day, the general rule is,
if the UV is above three, youneed to apply sunscreen.
There's a great app out therecalled SunSmart Global, which is
(11:15):
an initiative of the CancerCouncil, victoria.
Now this app works all aroundthe world and it can tell you
what the UV is going to be.
It will tell you what the UV isright now when you're looking
at it, and it can tell you whatthe UV is going to be.
It will tell you what the UV isright now when you're looking
at it.
It will tell you what themaximum UV is going to get to on
any given day and it willactually tell you the time of
day that you need to protectyourself.
(11:36):
So, for example, it might saythat the UV right now is two,
but it's going to be three orabove between, say, 10am and 3pm
.
From that app you know that ifyou're going to walk the dog, if
you're going to mow the lawn,if you're going to spend some
time outside, try and do itbefore the UV gets to three, so
(11:58):
before 10am or after 3pm.
In the fine print of that appit will tell you that if the UV
maximum on any given day isgoing to be two, which might be
in winter, then you don't needsunscreen.
The problem with that is ifyou're outdoors all day and
you're in the sun, even if theUV is low, then you can still
(12:22):
get sunburned, especially ifyou're fair skinned.
So a personal story about thatis my daughter is a netball
coach, she's a netball umpire,she's a netball player and she
came home from netball, frombeing in the sun all day, and I
said to her you are sunburned.
And she said, yes, mum, but Ichecked the app and the UV was
only going to be two.
But because she has fair skinand because she was out in it
(12:47):
all day, she was still affectedby UV rays and sunburn.
So if the UV is above three,always protect yourself.
But if the UV is below twobelow three, sorry, and you're
going to be out in it all dayit's a really good idea to
protect yourself as well.
Another thing worth noting isthat the UV generally is above
(13:09):
three for 10 months of the yearhere in Australia.
So if you think that this isonly a summer problem, you'd be
wrong.
You really need to protect yourskin all year round.
Leon Goltsman (13:20):
Well, it's fair to say to just get in the habit
of protecting yourselfirrespective.
That way you can't go wrong.
Claudia Tolhurst (13:26):
Absolutely, and we say that to people as
soon as you get out of theshower and you towel off and you
put your moisturiser and youclean your teeth and you do all
those things and you brush yourhair, get into the habit of
putting your first layer ofsunscreen on at that point in
time and then just keepreapplying it throughout the day
.
Leon Goltsman (13:49):
Claudia, besides the sunscreen, what other
precautions can people take toprotect themselves and their
families from harmful UVexposure?
Claudia Tolhurst (13:53):
Okay.
Well, there's a couple ofthings here.
We always say don't rely onsunscreen alone.
You always should have a widebrimmed hat.
Caps don't give you greatcoverage.
Yes, it's better than nothing,but a wide brimmed hat is the
best option, especially if it'sgot a seven centimetre brim on
(14:13):
it.
That will give you cover foryour ears and your neck and your
face.
Seven centimetre brim on itthat will give you cover for
your ears and your neck and yourface.
Wear clothing long sleeveclothing, long pants whenever
you can.
They can be lightweight, butjust be aware that UV can pass
through fabric.
So there is a great range ofUPF 50 plus clothing available
out there these days that ifyou're going to be in the sun
(14:33):
for a long time, we recommendthat you use that sort of
clothing.
Slip, slop, slap on somesunscreen.
Always use sunscreen.
A lot of people don't realisethat UV can break through cloud,
can break through trees andshade and through clothing, but
(14:55):
it also can be reflective.
So if you're a fisherman andyou've got your long sleeved
shirt on and you've got yourwide brimmed hat on and you've
got your sunglasses on, you willstill go home with a sunburnt
face if you haven't appliedsunscreen, because the
reflection of the UV off thewater, off sand, off glass, off
(15:16):
tin, even off light concreteAnything that's a reflective
surface will give you sunburn,even if you're covered up.
Seek shade wherever you can,and don't forget to put
sunglasses on, because your eyesneed to be protected as well.
Leon Goltsman (15:31):
What advice would you give to parents about
protecting their children fromsun damage?
Would you give to parents aboutprotecting their children from
sun damage, especially givenAustralia's harsh climate.
Claudia Tolhurst (15:39):
The thing with sunburn and UV damage to your
skin is that most of the damageis done before you turn 15.
After that, every sunburn youhave just accumulates the damage
until some point in time youget your first skin cancer.
So it's really important forparents to pass on some
knowledge and some good habitsto their children early.
(16:02):
Always have your children sunprotected, make sure they've got
their hat, their protectiveclothing, their sunglasses, that
they're seeking shade whereverthey can and that they are
applying their sunscreen.
The thing in Australia is weget into primary school and we
have a no hat, no play policy.
So these kids understand thatthey have to wear a hat when
(16:22):
they're out in the sun.
Whether they understand why isa different story, but they know
that they have to do it.
Unfortunately, here locallythere are not a lot of schools
or high schools that carry thatmessage through.
So primary schools have greatno hat, no play policies.
Then they get to high schooland sadly it goes out the window
.
(16:43):
If you've got a child in theplayground in year seven or year
eight or year nine and they'resmoking a cigarette, the teacher
would pounce on that and they'dbe in this principal's office.
Why?
Because it's carcinogenic andit has the ability to kill them
in the future.
It's the same thing withsunscreen and with sunbaking and
children running around withouthats on.
(17:04):
You know, the UV rays from thesun are carcinogenic, they can
cause cancer.
But we don't tend to look at itthat way.
We look at the smoking or thevaping and you know we pounce on
it straight away.
But sun, sun tanning, you know,when I was a kid in high school
, I used to sit in the shadewith my legs out in the sun to
try and get, you know, some sunon my legs.
(17:26):
If I knew then what I know now,I think I would have changed it
.
But then again my brain as ateenager might not have been
able to, you know, assess therisk or the future risk, and
maybe I wouldn't have taken thaton board.
But if I had a teacher tellingme pull those legs in, out of
the sun, you're not allowed todo that it would be a different
(17:48):
story.
Leon Goltsman (17:50):
So the real message here is educate children
early.
Claudia Tolhurst (17:52):
Yeah, absolutely.
Leon Goltsman (17:55):
Look and community is a really big part,
because I know especially inregional parts of New South
Wales, but also in the city,people want to get involved.
How can people get involvedwith your organisation's
initiatives or support melanomaresearch and awareness efforts?
Claudia Tolhurst (18:11):
So many ways you can get involved with the
Hunter Melanoma Foundation.
Many ways you can get involvedwith the Hunter Melanoma
Foundation.
We have just myself and onestaff member who works two days
a week.
So for the work that we'redoing we rely heavily on
volunteers.
So one of the best ways you canhelp is to volunteer for the
(18:32):
organisation.
It's a very simple process.
You just go to our website andsign up as a volunteer.
We send an email out then andask people are you available for
this?
And if you are, you sign up,and if you're not, you ignore it
and wait till the next time.
So the website is hmforgau.
On that website you can alsobecome a member.
(18:53):
So if you can spare the threecents yes, that's correct, three
cents per day.
It costs $11 a year to be amember.
If you're a member of HMF, we'llsend you a membership gift for
signing up.
We will give you access to ournewsletter twice a year.
You will be on our mailing listfor our fundraising campaigns.
(19:13):
You'll get to see what'shappening in the community as
far as melanoma and what thethings HMF are working on.
So we welcome and invite peopleto become a member of HMF.
You can host fundraising eventsor you can come and attend our
fundraising events.
We have fundraising events allthroughout the year.
If you follow us on socialmedia and share our pages and
(19:35):
share our posts, that's a greatway and a cheap way that you can
help us get the message across.
Yeah, so there's different waysthat you can help.
You know whether it's financial, whether it's, you know,
donating your time, or whetherit's just sharing our message
and helping to share thatmessage for us.
Leon Goltsman (19:55):
Well, I know I'll definitely be signing up.
Claudia Tolhurst (19:57):
That'd be great.
We'd love to have you on board.
Leon Goltsman (20:00):
Claudia.
Are there any upcoming eventsor campaigns our listeners
should know about and how theycan participate?
Claudia Tolhurst (20:08):
Yeah, there is .
So we have our Spot Checkcampaign coming up in February.
We've just come off a weekendof a Spot Check campaign, so the
spot check campaign is aninitiative where we provide the
community with a free pop-upskin check clinic.
The one that we've justcompleted and the one that we're
(20:28):
doing in February is thanks tothe state government through
their local small commitmentsprogram.
We were able to get somefunding to continue with the
program this year and I've justhad a look at the data on that
and over the last weekend we saw145 patients.
From that we found 52suspicious lesions, including
(20:51):
six suspected melanomas.
So we're saving lives with thatcampaign.
If you want to get involved inthat campaign and want to come
along and get your skin checked,the best way to do that is to
go to our website and sign up toour newsletter and you'll be
the first to know when the datesare released and when the
bookings are released.
We also have in March our Out ofthe Sun Run, so we hold that in
(21:16):
conjunction with H events outat Lake Macquarie Spears Point
Park as part of the LakeMacquarie Triathlon Festival.
We hold it on a Friday night, sothat it's out of the sun and
we're all being sun safe.
And this year we're doing orsorry, next year we're doing a
five kilometre fun run forpeople who want to get involved
and a 10 kilometre run for thosewho are a little bit more
(21:37):
competitive and want to bechallenged by doing the extra
run.
Aside from that, we are workingon what's called a swap program
, and that is a sun safeworkplace awareness program so
we can go out to the communityand deliver to the workplace out
(22:00):
to the community and deliver tothe workplace specifically
those workplaces that haveoutdoor workers a face-to-face
training session raisingawareness about the dangers of
UV, how to protect yourself andhow you can participate in early
detection.
We also are in the process ofgetting some funding together to
take that program online sothat businesses can then sign up
and get their staff to actuallydo an online training program.
(22:23):
It's the first of its kind inAustralia, so we're hoping to
introduce that in the new yearas well.
So there's lots of differentways and, again, if you sign up
to our newsletter, you're wellversed on everything that's
happening at HMF.
Leon Goltsman (22:39):
Wow, so you guys are very busy.
Claudia Tolhurst (22:41):
Yeah, we're very busy.
We have a huge impact with asmall budget and few staff,
which is why we rely so heavilyon those volunteers.
Leon Goltsman (22:52):
Always helps to have the right people.
What are some of the biggestchallenges in raising awareness
about melanoma and how are youworking to overcome them?
Claudia Tolhurst (23:01):
Some of our challenges with melanoma is
getting the message through tothe younger audience.
Now a lot of people associatemelanoma as an older person's
disease, but it's interesting tonote that the most commonly
diagnosed cancer in the 20 to 39age group is melanoma.
So if you're in that age groupand you're going to be diagnosed
with cancer, it is more likelyto be melanoma than any other
(23:23):
form of cancer.
It's really important that weget that message across because
it's something that people canavoid.
It's such a preventable cancer.
Unfortunately, that age grouptend to think that they're
invincible and it won't happento them.
But we're here to tell you itcan Our spot check clinics.
Two years ago we found amelanoma on the ear of a
(23:47):
19-year-old female.
This is life-saving stuff.
Now she doesn't look at theback of her ear.
Nobody can see the back oftheir ear unless they're doing
some weird things in front of amirror.
So so important for people toget their skin checked, but it's
really hard to get that messageacross to that particular group
(24:08):
of people.
Another group of people thatit's hard to get the message
across is to the 50 plus male.
They are less likely to go tothe doctors for anything, let
alone a small spot on their skinand, interestingly, 60% of
melanoma deaths are males overthe age of 50.
So it's important for us to getthat message out to them as
(24:31):
well and make sure that they arelooking after themselves and
going and getting things checkedthat they might think is just
an innocent spot.
They need to get it checked.
Yeah, so we have a few differenteducation programs.
So we've got the SWAP programthat I mentioned earlier, where
we're doing a workplace programfor specifically designed for
(24:52):
outdoor workers.
But we can also go in and doour community education program
in the workplace to people thatwork indoors, and we can also go
in and do our communityeducation program in the
workplace to people that workindoors, and we often find when
we do that, people are amazed atwhat they learn.
Everybody walks away from itand says that is awesome, thank
you so much, I learned so muchfrom that.
And it can be about thesunscreen that we talked about
(25:14):
earlier or what to look for whenyou're checking your skin and
those sorts of things.
So there's a swap program.
We do a community educationprogram where we go out and
deliver a program to differentcommunity groups.
It could be a school.
It could be a rotary group, itcould be a probus club, any of
those sorts of things we can goout and deliver our program to
(25:38):
as well and they're always wellreceived.
And we have our high schoolsprogram that we go out and
deliver to the high schools whenrequested to as well.
Anybody that wants to do anyeducation program can just
contact us via email.
Info at hmforgau and thosedetails are on our website.
(25:58):
If you're a melanoma patient,mscan, m-s-c-a-n, which is the
Melanoma and Skin CancerAdvocacy Network, have some
great podcasts out there forpeople to listen to, whether
you've been diagnosed with themelanoma in situ and had that
removed and no furtherramifications, or whether you
been diagnosed with the melanomain situ and had that removed
and no further ramifications, orwhether you're a stage four
(26:21):
melanoma patient.
There is some really goodresources on their website and
some podcasts you can listen toand there are links to that on
the HMF website and we also havesome links on the HMF website
to the Melanoma InstituteAustralia and they produce four
really good books, depending onwhat stage of melanoma you've
(26:41):
been diagnosed with.
So they have your guide tomelanoma in situ, your guide to
early melanoma, your guide tostage three melanoma and your
guide to stage four melanoma.
So any diagnosis that you'vehad, you can go on and download
those resources.
Leon Goltsman (26:59):
That's really good to know.
A lot of what we talk aboutwill be in the show notes, but
it's really valuable information.
Do you have a personal story orexperience related to melanoma
that has shaped your passion forthis course?
Claudia Tolhurst (27:14):
Absolutely, and the reason I got involved in
the Melanoma Foundation in thefirst place was my sister,
probably about 40 years ago, hada melanoma in her back and it
was cut out early and shesurvived.
And as a result of that, mymother used to volunteer for the
(27:35):
Hunter Melanoma Foundation backin the days when they were at
the old Walls End Hospital siteand I was working at the time
when I got involved.
I was working for a bank whoare very community focused and
they always recommended thattheir staff do something to give
back to the community.
So because of the connectionthat my mother had, I came on
(27:58):
board with the Hunter MelanomaFoundation and got onto their
management committee and I wasthere for four years before I
took on the role of executiveofficer.
Since then I have had my ownmelanoma cut out of my leg, a
melanoma in situ.
I was very lucky to get itearly and the reason I found
(28:18):
that melanoma was because mymiddle sister rang me.
She lives in Western Australiaand she rang one day and said
I've just had a melanoma cut outof my chest.
Anyway, we had a discussionabout it and she was very lucky.
She just caught it in timebefore it got to the thickness
where it starts to get a littlebit more complex concerning.
And I sat down on the loungethat night and I was starting to
(28:42):
check my own skin which I doregularly anyway.
But I looked at the spot on myleg that I had been keeping an
eye on and I noticed thatevening that it had changed.
I thought I need to go and getthat checked.
So I dug out an old photo thatI took of it.
And here's a really good tipwhen you're checking your skin,
(29:02):
if you find something that youthink is a little bit suspicious
looking, take a photo of itwith a tape measure next to it.
So I got out my old sewing tapemeasure and popped it next to
it and I took a photo.
So then when my sister rang andI looked at it again and I
noticed, oh, I think that'schanging.
I was able to compare the phototo the previous photo and it
(29:26):
hadn't grown in size, but it haddefinitely changed in colour,
luckily.
I rang my doctor and said gotany vacancies this week?
I think this spot's changing?
And he said come up straightaway and I'll have a look at it,
biopsied it and, yeah, got aphone call a week later to say
(29:46):
it was a melanoma in situ.
Leon Goltsman (29:48):
Once again reconfirms that prevention is
better than cure.
Claudia Tolhurst (29:52):
And really important to know your own skin.
If you don't know your own skin, you don't know whether
something's new or changing, andthey're the things we need to
look for.
If you've got something new, ifyou've got something changing,
if you've got a new spot that'sbeen there for six weeks or more
and it's not healing, you needto get those things checked.
Leon Goltsman (30:11):
Absolutely, Claudia.
What is the one key message youwould like to leave with our
listeners about melanomaprevention and their role in
making a difference?
Claudia Tolhurst (30:20):
The key message here is check and
protect your skin.
It's five words, but that's allyou need to do Check and
protect your skin and raise thealarm If you're standing in the
bank and you see someone infront of you with a really sus
looking spot on them.
Call it out and ask them haveyou had that spot checked?
(30:41):
We had a gentleman.
Them call it out and ask themhave you had that spot checked?
We had a gentleman.
That exact thing happened to him.
He was actually a melanomapatient and the gentleman in the
queue behind him at the banktapped him on the shoulder and
said you've got a spot there onyour arm that looks a bit
suspicious.
Have you had your skin checked?
Lately Now he went and got thatbiopsied and it was an
aggressive melanoma.
Sadly, he has now passed frommelanoma.
(31:03):
But you have the potential tosave somebody's life.
If you see somebody that'sgetting sunburned, tell them to
get out of the sun, ask them toput some sunscreen on, spread
the message about prevention andcall them out.
You know you could be savingsomebody's life.
Leon Goltsman (31:19):
Absolutely.
It's been a fantasticconversation.
I really, every time I talk toyou, I learn something new, and
I think that our audience aregoing to really enjoy listening
to this as well.
Thank you very much for joiningus.
Claudia Tolhurst (31:31):
It's my absolute pleasure.
Leon Goltsman (31:34):
Well, that's a wrap.
What a truly powerfulconversation we've just had with
Claudia Tolhurst from theHunter Melanoma Foundation.
Claudia's insights were a muchneeded reminder that life is
precious and melanoma is one ofthe most preventable cancers out
there.
Early detection saves lives,with 90% of cases caught early
leading to full recoveries.
(31:55):
It's those moments of delay,those ignored warning signs,
that make all the difference,and that is why conversations
like today are so important.
We've all grown up hearing slip, slop, slap, but, as Claudia
shared, it's about taking itfurther, applying sunscreen
earlier, using the right amountand reapplying often.
(32:15):
It's also about looking out foreach other, reminding our loved
ones to get regular skin checksand spreading the message of
sun safety far and wide.
If you'd like more information,support or resources, make sure
you check out the show notes.
Now I've got something excitingto share with you about next
week's episode.
(32:35):
It's a special one and I can'twait to let you in on it.
The cat's out of the bag andI'm looking forward to
introducing you to our newsponsor.
As always, if today's episodestruck a chord with you, let us
know your thoughts and share itwith the people who matter most.
I'm Leon Goltsman and I'll seeyou next time.
Until then, stay safe, stayconnected and let's keep looking
(32:58):
out for each other.
Good morning, good afternoon or good evening,
wherever you are, and welcomeback to another episode of
Engaging Conversations, aprogram where we talk to people
who are out there making a realdifference in their communities
and beyond.
I'm your host, leon Goltsman,and today's episode is proudly
brought to you by Lake MacBusiness Focus, shining a light
(00:20):
on organisations that help makeour world a better place.
Now let me start with asobering thought.
While melanoma accounts foronly 3% of all diagnosed skin
cancers, it tragically causes65% of all skin cancer deaths.
Australia holds the unfortunatetitle of having the highest
(00:40):
melanoma rates per capita in theworld.
It's a title, as today's guestwill passionately remind us,
that we do not want to keep.
Today, I am honored to introduceClaudia Tolhurst, executive
Officer at the Hunter MelanomaFoundation, a leader in raising
awareness, supporting familiesand saving lives through
(01:01):
education and early detection.
Claudia brings a crucialmessage, especially now, as
we're in the summer months, atime when the risks are higher
and awareness is more importantthan ever.
In today's episode, we'lldiscuss the early warnings of
melanoma, the impact of earlydetection and how prioritizing
your health can make all thedifference.
(01:22):
It's a conversation that trulysaves lives.
So, without further ado, let'sdive into this powerful and
timely discussion with ClaudiaTolhurst.
Let's learn together how we canprotect ourselves and our loved
ones.
Claudia Tolhurst (01:37):
So my name is Claudia Tolhurst and I'm the
Executive Officer of the HunterMelanoma Foundation, and I've
been in this role for just overfive years, and prior to that I
spent four years on the HMFcommittee.
Our mission here at theMelanoma Foundation is to defeat
melanoma.
We want to reduce the incidenceof death by melanoma and we do
(02:00):
that in several ways.
So there are four arms to thework that we do.
We provide support to theNewcastle Melanoma Unit, which
is based here at the MaterHospital.
We provide funding for localresearch to HMRI and University
of Newcastle's Professor NicolaBowden, who does a lot of great
(02:22):
work in melanoma research.
We provide patient supportservices to melanoma patients
and their families.
Now, that could be practicalsupport in the form of transport
to treatment, it could behelping them with some medical
costs, it could be helping themwith house cleaning or lawn
mowing, those sorts of thingswhen they're undergoing
(02:44):
treatment, and it could beemotional support.
So we have connections to theHunter Cancer Hub where we can
refer people to differentorganisations if they need
assistance them and their familymembers and we run a support
group which also provides themwith a safe space to talk with
other melanoma patients andtheir families.
(03:04):
And the final part of what wedo and it's probably the largest
part of what we do is educatethe community about prevention
and early detection of melanoma.
Leon Goltsman (03:15):
So, from all the great things that you do, what
exactly is melanoma and why isit considered one of the most
dangerous types of skin cancer?
Claudia Tolhurst (03:22):
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer.
Now there are three main typesof skin cancer.
They're basal cell carcinomas,or BCCs, which are the most
diagnosed.
There are squamous cellcarcinomas, which are SCCs, and
they are the second mostdiagnosed.
And then there's melanoma, andwhilst melanoma is the least
(03:43):
diagnosed, it's the most deadly.
So it only represents 3% ofskin cancers diagnosed, but
melanoma accounts for 65% ofskin cancer deaths.
So it's the most dangerousbecause it travels very quickly
and if it's left untreated itcan enter the lymphatic system
(04:05):
and it can spread to other partsof the body where it becomes
very hard to treat.
Leon Goltsman (04:10):
And you've just answered one of my questions
about statistics, but can youalso share some stories that
highlight the prevalence andimpact of melanoma in Australia
and globally?
Claudia Tolhurst (04:20):
Yeah, so Australia has the highest
incidence per capita of melanomain the world.
We are right up there at numberone.
It's really good to be worldchampions at things like rugby
union and swimming and all thosesorts of things, but when it
comes to melanoma, it's a titlethat we don't want.
(04:42):
So per capita, we have very,very high rates of melanoma and
it's actually known as ournational cancer because of that.
So the thing with melanoma isit's one of the most preventable
cancers.
So 90% of people who have amelanoma have it removed
successfully really early, andthey live a normal life with no
(05:02):
further ramifications.
It's the 10% of people thatleave it too long before they
get checked that are leftfighting for their life
basically.
So this is where our preventionmessage comes in.
It is totally preventable andit's just a matter of getting
our sun safe message out thereso that people A can prevent it,
(05:23):
but B so that we get that earlydetection message out there.
So people are seeing thingsearly and having them removed
before they becomelife-threatening.
Leon Goltsman (05:34):
It's all about priorities, and the priority
that I'm hearing here is getyourself checked out.
Claudia Tolhurst (05:40):
Yeah, priorities to get yourself
checked, because we live in aworld where here in Newcastle,
in particular in the Hunterregion, we have traditionally
always had high rates ofmelanoma and in fact in the
1980s when the Hunter MelanomaFoundation was formed, it was
because we had the highest ratesof melanoma in the country.
Interestingly, the data that'sbeen released on that recently
(06:02):
shows that in New South Wales,port Stephens is sitting at
number 12.
We've got Lake Macquariesitting at 15.
We have Cessnock sitting around20 and Newcastle's around 25.
So we have actually droppeddown the list but we're still in
those top 25 LGAs in the statewhen it comes to melanoma
(06:24):
diagnosis.
Now, a lot of that is to dowith the fact that we do live an
outdoor lifestyle and we're nottelling people go and hide
inside.
We're just saying when you dogo out, you need to slip, slop,
slap, seek and slide and lookafter your skin so that your
future self isn't fighting amelanoma diagnosis.
Leon Goltsman (06:45):
So I suppose this message is really going out to
everybody.
Claudia Tolhurst (06:49):
Absolutely.
Queensland actually has Ibelieve it's Townsville has the
highest rates of melanoma in thecountry now.
So we really need to get thismessage out Australia-wide and
we need to be learning toprotect our skin and having
those regular skin checks.
Leon Goltsman (07:07):
And Claudia, we've heard the word melanoma
get thrown around a lot and noteverybody knows what it is.
I mean, hopefully, by the endof this episode of this podcast,
this conversation that we'rehaving, more and more people
will understand.
But still, what have you foundto be some of the misconceptions
people have about sunscreen andhow can they apply it properly
(07:29):
to ensure maximum protection?
Claudia Tolhurst (07:32):
Yeah, there are so many misconceptions out
there about sunscreen and ratherthan go into the misconceptions
, I might just focus on thethings that we should be doing.
So sunscreen has an expiry date.
If you're applying a sunscreenthat's past its expiry date,
it's doing absolutely nothingfor you.
In Australia, it is illegal tosell sunscreen unless it has the
(07:55):
expiry date noted on the bottleor the tube somewhere.
So always check that yoursunscreen is in date.
That's rule number one.
If you're using a chemicalsunscreen, it needs to be
applied 20 minutes before you gooutside, because it takes 20
minutes for the chemicals toreact and to activate so that
you're covered.
Now, the difference between achemical and a mineral sunscreen
(08:18):
is that the chemical sunscreensoaks into your skin and it
absorbs UV rays so that itdoesn't damage your DNA in your
skin.
A physical sunscreen is asunscreen.
That's.
The main ingredient is zincoxide, so it's a thicker feeling
sunscreen and it actually sitson the surface of your skin and
(08:39):
reflects UV away from your skin.
Now zincs can be applied andcan take effect immediately.
So if it's a zinc sunscreen,you can put it on and go out.
If it's a chemical sunscreen,you need to put it on and you
need to wait 20 minutes beforeyou go out so that you can
ensure that it's activatedbefore you go outside.
(09:00):
The other big thing is whetherwe're applying enough sunscreen.
So it actually takes 35 mils ofsunscreen on a regular adult
body to ensure you're covered.
So that's five mils ofsunscreen for each body part.
So five mils for your head,neck, ears Please don't forget
your ears, because we see a lotof skin cancers around the ears
(09:25):
Five mils for each of your arms,each of your legs, the front of
your torso and the back of yourtorso.
Now, five mils is about ateaspoon, but if you actually
pull out a syringe and suck fivemils out of a sunscreen bottle
and squeeze it into your hand,you would be alarmed at the
amount of sunscreen in your hand.
(09:45):
It is equivalent to two 50 centpieces stacked on the palm of
your hand.
So it's a fair bit of sunscreen.
So a lot of people say to me oh,I put sunscreen on and I still
got sunburned.
And my question to them is didyou check the expiry date?
Did you put it on 20 minutesbefore you go outside and did
you apply enough?
Now the other rule is that werecommend everybody applies
(10:09):
sunscreen and reapplies it everytwo hours, even if the bottle
says four hours.
Reapply it every two hours,probably more often if you're
swimming, you're sweating oryou're toweling and wiping it
off, so reapply it.
Check the expiry date, makesure you're applying enough and
make sure you're putting it on20 minutes before you go outside
.
The other thing is that there'sa push in the beauty industry
(10:32):
at the moment for young ladiesto wear foundations, bb creams,
those sorts of things that havegot an SPF 50 plus in them, and
whilst we think that's great,are you putting enough of that
on?
I can guarantee, if you'reputting foundation on with an
SPF 50 plus in it, you would notbe using five mils of
(10:54):
foundation on your face.
So it's better to put thesunscreen on first and then
apply the foundation or the BBcream on the top of that.
So if you check the UV ratingeach day, the general rule is,
if the UV is above three, youneed to apply sunscreen.
There's a great app out therecalled SunSmart Global, which is
(11:15):
an initiative of the CancerCouncil, victoria.
Now this app works all aroundthe world and it can tell you
what the UV is going to be.
It will tell you what the UV isright now when you're looking
at it, and it can tell you whatthe UV is going to be.
It will tell you what the UV isright now when you're looking
at it.
It will tell you what themaximum UV is going to get to on
any given day and it willactually tell you the time of
day that you need to protectyourself.
(11:36):
So, for example, it might saythat the UV right now is two,
but it's going to be three orabove between, say, 10am and 3pm
.
From that app you know that ifyou're going to walk the dog, if
you're going to mow the lawn,if you're going to spend some
time outside, try and do itbefore the UV gets to three, so
(11:58):
before 10am or after 3pm.
In the fine print of that appit will tell you that if the UV
maximum on any given day isgoing to be two, which might be
in winter, then you don't needsunscreen.
The problem with that is ifyou're outdoors all day and
you're in the sun, even if theUV is low, then you can still
(12:22):
get sunburned, especially ifyou're fair skinned.
So a personal story about thatis my daughter is a netball
coach, she's a netball umpire,she's a netball player and she
came home from netball, frombeing in the sun all day, and I
said to her you are sunburned.
And she said, yes, mum, but Ichecked the app and the UV was
only going to be two.
But because she has fair skinand because she was out in it
(12:47):
all day, she was still affectedby UV rays and sunburn.
So if the UV is above three,always protect yourself.
But if the UV is below twobelow three, sorry, and you're
going to be out in it all dayit's a really good idea to
protect yourself as well.
Another thing worth noting isthat the UV generally is above
(13:09):
three for 10 months of the yearhere in Australia.
So if you think that this isonly a summer problem, you'd be
wrong.
You really need to protect yourskin all year round.
Leon Goltsman (13:20):
Well, it's fair to say to just get in the habit
of protecting yourselfirrespective.
That way you can't go wrong.
Claudia Tolhurst (13:26):
Absolutely, and we say that to people as
soon as you get out of theshower and you towel off and you
put your moisturiser and youclean your teeth and you do all
those things and you brush yourhair, get into the habit of
putting your first layer ofsunscreen on at that point in
time and then just keepreapplying it throughout the day
.
Leon Goltsman (13:49):
Claudia, besides the sunscreen, what other
precautions can people take toprotect themselves and their
families from harmful UVexposure?
Claudia Tolhurst (13:53):
Okay.
Well, there's a couple ofthings here.
We always say don't rely onsunscreen alone.
You always should have a widebrimmed hat.
Caps don't give you greatcoverage.
Yes, it's better than nothing,but a wide brimmed hat is the
best option, especially if it'sgot a seven centimetre brim on
(14:13):
it.
That will give you cover foryour ears and your neck and your
face.
Seven centimetre brim on itthat will give you cover for
your ears and your neck and yourface.
Wear clothing long sleeveclothing, long pants whenever
you can.
They can be lightweight, butjust be aware that UV can pass
through fabric.
So there is a great range ofUPF 50 plus clothing available
out there these days that ifyou're going to be in the sun
(14:33):
for a long time, we recommendthat you use that sort of
clothing.
Slip, slop, slap on somesunscreen.
Always use sunscreen.
A lot of people don't realisethat UV can break through cloud,
can break through trees andshade and through clothing, but
(14:55):
it also can be reflective.
So if you're a fisherman andyou've got your long sleeved
shirt on and you've got yourwide brimmed hat on and you've
got your sunglasses on, you willstill go home with a sunburnt
face if you haven't appliedsunscreen, because the
reflection of the UV off thewater, off sand, off glass, off
(15:16):
tin, even off light concreteAnything that's a reflective
surface will give you sunburn,even if you're covered up.
Seek shade wherever you can,and don't forget to put
sunglasses on, because your eyesneed to be protected as well.
Leon Goltsman (15:31):
What advice would you give to parents about
protecting their children fromsun damage?
Would you give to parents aboutprotecting their children from
sun damage, especially givenAustralia's harsh climate.
Claudia Tolhurst (15:39):
The thing with sunburn and UV damage to your
skin is that most of the damageis done before you turn 15.
After that, every sunburn youhave just accumulates the damage
until some point in time youget your first skin cancer.
So it's really important forparents to pass on some
knowledge and some good habitsto their children early.
(16:02):
Always have your children sunprotected, make sure they've got
their hat, their protectiveclothing, their sunglasses, that
they're seeking shade whereverthey can and that they are
applying their sunscreen.
The thing in Australia is weget into primary school and we
have a no hat, no play policy.
So these kids understand thatthey have to wear a hat when
(16:22):
they're out in the sun.
Whether they understand why isa different story, but they know
that they have to do it.
Unfortunately, here locallythere are not a lot of schools
or high schools that carry thatmessage through.
So primary schools have greatno hat, no play policies.
Then they get to high schooland sadly it goes out the window
.
(16:43):
If you've got a child in theplayground in year seven or year
eight or year nine and they'resmoking a cigarette, the teacher
would pounce on that and they'dbe in this principal's office.
Why?
Because it's carcinogenic andit has the ability to kill them
in the future.
It's the same thing withsunscreen and with sunbaking and
children running around withouthats on.
(17:04):
You know, the UV rays from thesun are carcinogenic, they can
cause cancer.
But we don't tend to look at itthat way.
We look at the smoking or thevaping and you know we pounce on
it straight away.
But sun, sun tanning, you know,when I was a kid in high school
, I used to sit in the shadewith my legs out in the sun to
try and get, you know, some sunon my legs.
(17:26):
If I knew then what I know now,I think I would have changed it
.
But then again my brain as ateenager might not have been
able to, you know, assess therisk or the future risk, and
maybe I wouldn't have taken thaton board.
But if I had a teacher tellingme pull those legs in, out of
the sun, you're not allowed todo that it would be a different
(17:48):
story.
Leon Goltsman (17:50):
So the real message here is educate children
early.
Claudia Tolhurst (17:52):
Yeah, absolutely.
Leon Goltsman (17:55):
Look and community is a really big part,
because I know especially inregional parts of New South
Wales, but also in the city,people want to get involved.
How can people get involvedwith your organisation's
initiatives or support melanomaresearch and awareness efforts?
Claudia Tolhurst (18:11):
So many ways you can get involved with the
Hunter Melanoma Foundation.
Many ways you can get involvedwith the Hunter Melanoma
Foundation.
We have just myself and onestaff member who works two days
a week.
So for the work that we'redoing we rely heavily on
volunteers.
So one of the best ways you canhelp is to volunteer for the
(18:32):
organisation.
It's a very simple process.
You just go to our website andsign up as a volunteer.
We send an email out then andask people are you available for
this?
And if you are, you sign up,and if you're not, you ignore it
and wait till the next time.
So the website is hmforgau.
On that website you can alsobecome a member.
(18:53):
So if you can spare the threecents yes, that's correct, three
cents per day.
It costs $11 a year to be amember.
If you're a member of HMF, we'llsend you a membership gift for
signing up.
We will give you access to ournewsletter twice a year.
You will be on our mailing listfor our fundraising campaigns.
(19:13):
You'll get to see what'shappening in the community as
far as melanoma and what thethings HMF are working on.
So we welcome and invite peopleto become a member of HMF.
You can host fundraising eventsor you can come and attend our
fundraising events.
We have fundraising events allthroughout the year.
If you follow us on socialmedia and share our pages and
(19:35):
share our posts, that's a greatway and a cheap way that you can
help us get the message across.
Yeah, so there's different waysthat you can help.
You know whether it's financial, whether it's, you know,
donating your time, or whetherit's just sharing our message
and helping to share thatmessage for us.
Leon Goltsman (19:55):
Well, I know I'll definitely be signing up.
Claudia Tolhurst (19:57):
That'd be great.
We'd love to have you on board.
Leon Goltsman (20:00):
Claudia.
Are there any upcoming eventsor campaigns our listeners
should know about and how theycan participate?
Claudia Tolhurst (20:08):
Yeah, there is .
So we have our Spot Checkcampaign coming up in February.
We've just come off a weekendof a Spot Check campaign, so the
spot check campaign is aninitiative where we provide the
community with a free pop-upskin check clinic.
The one that we've justcompleted and the one that we're
(20:28):
doing in February is thanks tothe state government through
their local small commitmentsprogram.
We were able to get somefunding to continue with the
program this year and I've justhad a look at the data on that
and over the last weekend we saw145 patients.
From that we found 52suspicious lesions, including
(20:51):
six suspected melanomas.
So we're saving lives with thatcampaign.
If you want to get involved inthat campaign and want to come
along and get your skin checked,the best way to do that is to
go to our website and sign up toour newsletter and you'll be
the first to know when the datesare released and when the
bookings are released.
We also have in March our Out ofthe Sun Run, so we hold that in
(21:16):
conjunction with H events outat Lake Macquarie Spears Point
Park as part of the LakeMacquarie Triathlon Festival.
We hold it on a Friday night, sothat it's out of the sun and
we're all being sun safe.
And this year we're doing orsorry, next year we're doing a
five kilometre fun run forpeople who want to get involved
and a 10 kilometre run for thosewho are a little bit more
(21:37):
competitive and want to bechallenged by doing the extra
run.
Aside from that, we are workingon what's called a swap program
, and that is a sun safeworkplace awareness program so
we can go out to the communityand deliver to the workplace out
(22:00):
to the community and deliver tothe workplace specifically
those workplaces that haveoutdoor workers a face-to-face
training session raisingawareness about the dangers of
UV, how to protect yourself andhow you can participate in early
detection.
We also are in the process ofgetting some funding together to
take that program online sothat businesses can then sign up
and get their staff to actuallydo an online training program.
(22:23):
It's the first of its kind inAustralia, so we're hoping to
introduce that in the new yearas well.
So there's lots of differentways and, again, if you sign up
to our newsletter, you're wellversed on everything that's
happening at HMF.
Leon Goltsman (22:39):
Wow, so you guys are very busy.
Claudia Tolhurst (22:41):
Yeah, we're very busy.
We have a huge impact with asmall budget and few staff,
which is why we rely so heavilyon those volunteers.
Leon Goltsman (22:52):
Always helps to have the right people.
What are some of the biggestchallenges in raising awareness
about melanoma and how are youworking to overcome them?
Claudia Tolhurst (23:01):
Some of our challenges with melanoma is
getting the message through tothe younger audience.
Now a lot of people associatemelanoma as an older person's
disease, but it's interesting tonote that the most commonly
diagnosed cancer in the 20 to 39age group is melanoma.
So if you're in that age groupand you're going to be diagnosed
with cancer, it is more likelyto be melanoma than any other
(23:23):
form of cancer.
It's really important that weget that message across because
it's something that people canavoid.
It's such a preventable cancer.
Unfortunately, that age grouptend to think that they're
invincible and it won't happento them.
But we're here to tell you itcan Our spot check clinics.
Two years ago we found amelanoma on the ear of a
(23:47):
19-year-old female.
This is life-saving stuff.
Now she doesn't look at theback of her ear.
Nobody can see the back oftheir ear unless they're doing
some weird things in front of amirror.
So so important for people toget their skin checked, but it's
really hard to get that messageacross to that particular group
(24:08):
of people.
Another group of people thatit's hard to get the message
across is to the 50 plus male.
They are less likely to go tothe doctors for anything, let
alone a small spot on their skinand, interestingly, 60% of
melanoma deaths are males overthe age of 50.
So it's important for us to getthat message out to them as
(24:31):
well and make sure that they arelooking after themselves and
going and getting things checkedthat they might think is just
an innocent spot.
They need to get it checked.
Yeah, so we have a few differenteducation programs.
So we've got the SWAP programthat I mentioned earlier, where
we're doing a workplace programfor specifically designed for
(24:52):
outdoor workers.
But we can also go in and doour community education program
in the workplace to people thatwork indoors, and we can also go
in and do our communityeducation program in the
workplace to people that workindoors, and we often find when
we do that, people are amazed atwhat they learn.
Everybody walks away from itand says that is awesome, thank
you so much, I learned so muchfrom that.
And it can be about thesunscreen that we talked about
(25:14):
earlier or what to look for whenyou're checking your skin and
those sorts of things.
So there's a swap program.
We do a community educationprogram where we go out and
deliver a program to differentcommunity groups.
It could be a school.
It could be a rotary group, itcould be a probus club, any of
those sorts of things we can goout and deliver our program to
(25:38):
as well and they're always wellreceived.
And we have our high schoolsprogram that we go out and
deliver to the high schools whenrequested to as well.
Anybody that wants to do anyeducation program can just
contact us via email.
Info at hmforgau and thosedetails are on our website.
(25:58):
If you're a melanoma patient,mscan, m-s-c-a-n, which is the
Melanoma and Skin CancerAdvocacy Network, have some
great podcasts out there forpeople to listen to, whether
you've been diagnosed with themelanoma in situ and had that
removed and no furtherramifications, or whether you
been diagnosed with the melanomain situ and had that removed
and no further ramifications, orwhether you're a stage four
(26:21):
melanoma patient.
There is some really goodresources on their website and
some podcasts you can listen toand there are links to that on
the HMF website and we also havesome links on the HMF website
to the Melanoma InstituteAustralia and they produce four
really good books, depending onwhat stage of melanoma you've
(26:41):
been diagnosed with.
So they have your guide tomelanoma in situ, your guide to
early melanoma, your guide tostage three melanoma and your
guide to stage four melanoma.
So any diagnosis that you'vehad, you can go on and download
those resources.
Leon Goltsman (26:59):
That's really good to know.
A lot of what we talk aboutwill be in the show notes, but
it's really valuable information.
Do you have a personal story orexperience related to melanoma
that has shaped your passion forthis course?
Claudia Tolhurst (27:14):
Absolutely, and the reason I got involved in
the Melanoma Foundation in thefirst place was my sister,
probably about 40 years ago, hada melanoma in her back and it
was cut out early and shesurvived.
And as a result of that, mymother used to volunteer for the
(27:35):
Hunter Melanoma Foundation backin the days when they were at
the old Walls End Hospital siteand I was working at the time
when I got involved.
I was working for a bank whoare very community focused and
they always recommended thattheir staff do something to give
back to the community.
So because of the connectionthat my mother had, I came on
(27:58):
board with the Hunter MelanomaFoundation and got onto their
management committee and I wasthere for four years before I
took on the role of executiveofficer.
Since then I have had my ownmelanoma cut out of my leg, a
melanoma in situ.
I was very lucky to get itearly and the reason I found
(28:18):
that melanoma was because mymiddle sister rang me.
She lives in Western Australiaand she rang one day and said
I've just had a melanoma cut outof my chest.
Anyway, we had a discussionabout it and she was very lucky.
She just caught it in timebefore it got to the thickness
where it starts to get a littlebit more complex concerning.
And I sat down on the loungethat night and I was starting to
(28:42):
check my own skin which I doregularly anyway.
But I looked at the spot on myleg that I had been keeping an
eye on and I noticed thatevening that it had changed.
I thought I need to go and getthat checked.
So I dug out an old photo thatI took of it.
And here's a really good tipwhen you're checking your skin,
(29:02):
if you find something that youthink is a little bit suspicious
looking, take a photo of itwith a tape measure next to it.
So I got out my old sewing tapemeasure and popped it next to
it and I took a photo.
So then when my sister rang andI looked at it again and I
noticed, oh, I think that'schanging.
I was able to compare the phototo the previous photo and it
(29:26):
hadn't grown in size, but it haddefinitely changed in colour,
luckily.
I rang my doctor and said gotany vacancies this week?
I think this spot's changing?
And he said come up straightaway and I'll have a look at it,
biopsied it and, yeah, got aphone call a week later to say
(29:46):
it was a melanoma in situ.
Leon Goltsman (29:48):
Once again reconfirms that prevention is
better than cure.
Claudia Tolhurst (29:52):
And really important to know your own skin.
If you don't know your own skin, you don't know whether
something's new or changing, andthey're the things we need to
look for.
If you've got something new, ifyou've got something changing,
if you've got a new spot that'sbeen there for six weeks or more
and it's not healing, you needto get those things checked.
Leon Goltsman (30:11):
Absolutely, Claudia.
What is the one key message youwould like to leave with our
listeners about melanomaprevention and their role in
making a difference?
Claudia Tolhurst (30:20):
The key message here is check and
protect your skin.
It's five words, but that's allyou need to do Check and
protect your skin and raise thealarm If you're standing in the
bank and you see someone infront of you with a really sus
looking spot on them.
Call it out and ask them haveyou had that spot checked?
(30:41):
We had a gentleman.
Them call it out and ask themhave you had that spot checked?
We had a gentleman.
That exact thing happened to him.
He was actually a melanomapatient and the gentleman in the
queue behind him at the banktapped him on the shoulder and
said you've got a spot there onyour arm that looks a bit
suspicious.
Have you had your skin checked?
Lately Now he went and got thatbiopsied and it was an
aggressive melanoma.
Sadly, he has now passed frommelanoma.
(31:03):
But you have the potential tosave somebody's life.
If you see somebody that'sgetting sunburned, tell them to
get out of the sun, ask them toput some sunscreen on, spread
the message about prevention andcall them out.
You know you could be savingsomebody's life.
Leon Goltsman (31:19):
Absolutely.
It's been a fantasticconversation.
I really, every time I talk toyou, I learn something new, and
I think that our audience aregoing to really enjoy listening
to this as well.
Thank you very much for joiningus.
Claudia Tolhurst (31:31):
It's my absolute pleasure.
Leon Goltsman (31:34):
Well, that's a wrap.
What a truly powerfulconversation we've just had with
Claudia Tolhurst from theHunter Melanoma Foundation.
Claudia's insights were a muchneeded reminder that life is
precious and melanoma is one ofthe most preventable cancers out
there.
Early detection saves lives,with 90% of cases caught early
leading to full recoveries.
(31:55):
It's those moments of delay,those ignored warning signs,
that make all the difference,and that is why conversations
like today are so important.
We've all grown up hearing slip, slop, slap, but, as Claudia
shared, it's about taking itfurther, applying sunscreen
earlier, using the right amountand reapplying often.
(32:15):
It's also about looking out foreach other, reminding our loved
ones to get regular skin checksand spreading the message of
sun safety far and wide.
If you'd like more information,support or resources, make sure
you check out the show notes.
Now I've got something excitingto share with you about next
week's episode.
(32:35):
It's a special one and I can'twait to let you in on it.
The cat's out of the bag andI'm looking forward to
introducing you to our newsponsor.
As always, if today's episodestruck a chord with you, let us
know your thoughts and share itwith the people who matter most.
I'm Leon Goltsman and I'll seeyou next time.
Until then, stay safe, stayconnected and let's keep looking
(32:58):
out for each other.
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