Dad ‘desperate for a holiday’ blamed exhaustion on work only for his daughter to spot sign of killer ravaging his body
AN EXHAUSTED dad was desperate for a holiday - but he got a deadly diagnosis after his daughter spotted a subtle sign of the killer disease at the airport.
Richard Bennett, 64, began to feel unwell in the days before his holiday to Portugal with his wife Lesly, 57, in May 2024.
6
6
6
But the dad dismissed his symptoms as he was "desperate" to get away for a break.
Despite the tiredness he felt, Richard put it down to working and his general lifestyle catching up with him.
Whilst on holiday, his condition worsened, and Richard noticed changes in his urine and faeces, as well as feeling weaker and struggling to eat.
When his daughter, Sophie, 23, picked them up for the airport and exclaimed, "Dad, you're yellow," Richard knew he needed to get help as jaundice had set in.
He went to St John's hospital, Livingston before being transferred to Royal Infirmary Edinburgh where he was diagnosed with stage four melanoma - a form of skin cancer - which had moved from its original site and formed a mass on his pancreas.
After attempting to overcome the "shock to the system", Richard has remained determined to focus on his work as a swim coach whilst training for a cycle ride to raise money for cancer charity Maggie's.
He is currently undergoing immunotherapy once every four weeks to manage his condition.
Richard, from Whitburn, West Lothian, said: "It was quite a shock to the system.
"It was so difficult for myself and my family.
"Even just believing cancer had come to your door and chosen you.
"When I went to the hospital, and I spoke to some of the specialists, they told me it was melanoma, and they told me it was stage four.
"All the thoughts in my head was, 'This is it, curtains for me'. "I didn't think there was much of a future left.
"I didn't realise that all that stage four means is that the cancer has moved from the original site to somewhere else."
Richard initially struggled with coming to terms with the tag of 'stage four' associated with his condition.
6
6
He said: "It's not necessarily a death sentence.
"After reading Chris Hoy's book, I understood more about that, and it's made such a difference."
Olympic cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy revealed in October 2024 that his stage 4 prostate cancer was terminal, after being initially diagnosed with cancer in September 2023.
He published his autobiography All That Matters at the end of last year.
Richard said: "I'm trying to be strong for the kids at the swimming club, and when I reflect, there's no point in dwelling on it and being sad - I want to be upbeat and brave.
Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer that has a tendency to spread around the body.
It is diagnosed 16,000 times per year, and tragically takes the lives of 2,340 people per year.
The number of people being diagnosed with melanoma is increasing, and it is the 5th most common cancer in the UK.
But it is also one of the most preventable cancers, with 86 per cent of cases in the UK avoidable.
The best way to protect yourself from melanoma is to be sun safe - wear SPF every day, wear a hat and sunglasses and keep out of the sun in the hottest hours. It is also advised to avoid sunbeds.
People who are fair-skinned, have blue or green eyes, blonde or red hair and a large number of freckles or moles are more likely to get skin cancer.
Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma, particularly if it is found early. This will involve removing the affected tissue in the skin.
Radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used to try and stop the cancer from growing. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease.
What are the symptoms?
The key thing to look out for are changes to an existing mole, or a new mole on your skin.
Most experts recommend using the simple “ABCDE” rule to look for symptoms of melanoma skin cancer, which can appear anywhere on the body.
There are five letters/words to remember:
- Asymmetrical – melanomas usually have two very different halves and are an irregular shape
- Border – melanomas usually have a notched or ragged border
- Colours – melanomas will usually be a mix of two or more colours
- Diameter – most melanomas are usually larger than 6mm in diameter
- Enlargement or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma
A mole that changes size, shape or colour may be a melanoma.
But other signs to look out for include moles that are:
- Swollen and sore
- Bleeding
- Itchy
- Crusty
How deadly is it?
Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer.
The outlook of a person’s disease depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed.
Survival is better for women than it is for men.
“We don't know exactly why this is. It may be because women are more likely to see a doctor about their melanoma at an earlier stage,” says Cancer Research UK.
The charity says that generally, statistics show that in England, more than 85 out of every 100 people (more than 85 per cent) will survive their melanoma for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed.
- Around 100 per cent in England diagnosed with melanoma at stage 1 - when the cancer cells are only in the top layer of skin - will survive for five years or more after diagnosis.This drops to 80 per cent for stage 2.
- Some 70 per cent live for a further five years when they are diagnosed in stage 3, which is when the cancer has started to spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- At stage 4, when the melanoma has spread elsewhere in the body, almost 30 per cent survive their cancer for 5 years or more.
Cancer Research says the stage 4 data does not account for age differences. Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people.
Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people.
What is melanoma?
Melanocytes are cells in the skin that give us the colour of our skin because they produce a pigment, known as melanin.
When you sit in the sun, melanocytes produce more pigment (a sun tan), which spreads to other skin cells to protect them from the sun’s rays.
But melanocytes are also where cancer starts.
Too much UV causes sunburn, and this is a sign of damage to the skin’s DNA.
The UV triggers changes in the melanocytes, which makes the genetic material become faulty and cause abnormal cell growth.
People who burn easily are more at risk of skin cancer because their cells do not produce as much pigment to protect their skin.
Those with albinism are at the most risk because their skin produces no pigment at all.
"I'm surrounded by positive people and that in itself gave me a focus to keep going. I'm glad that the swimming club is there in my life.
"And my family - even though I feel quite fit and well, even though I'm still trying to push on, they're always making sure I'm okay.
"You're so used to looking after your kids and your family but they just took over and looked after me.
"If I could turn the clock back, I would have acted immediately.
"I don't think it would have made a big difference in respect to my diagnosis, but I would encourage anybody if things are not normal, then please speak to your doctor."
Richard has now turned his attention to the Tour De 4 cycling challenge on September 7 - a 38-mile loop around Glasgow in support of cancer research.
He said: "I had a mountain bike, and I quite liked going down the trails, but when I read Chris' book, he spoke about arranging the Tour de 4.
"I said to my wife that this is something I want to do - it would be good to raise awareness.
"As a stage four cancer patient, it would be great to raise money and help people just like me.
Stage 4 means the melanoma has spread to parts of the body away from the original cancer site and further than the nearby lymph nodes.
Melanoma can spread to other areas on the skin or to soft tissue.
Soft tissue includes muscles, nerves, fat, and blood vessels. Sometimes it can spread to more than one area.
Other common places for melanoma to spread include your:
- Lymph nodes further away from the melanoma – which ones depend on where the melanoma is
- Lungs
- Liver
- Bones
- Brain
- Small bowel
Source: CRUK
"I've been blown away by the fundraiser - I was so touched by everybody's kindness.
"A few days in, and it's over £900 - I can't believe that.
"I'm still currently employed by Lloyds Banking, and their support has been outstanding, too."
You can support Richard's fundraiser here.
6
thesun
