I was eight months pregnant when a ‘stubborn’ pimple appeared on my nose. Two weeks later pharmacists told me to see a doctor right away…

Chelsea De Maine was eight months pregnant when a strange ‘pimple’ appeared on her nose, and despite her best efforts, it couldn’t be popped.

The expectant mother ignored it for two weeks before going to the pharmacy for advice about the unsightly bump.

And then her skin problem became an emergency.

Speaking to FEMAIL, she explained that the pharmacists urged her to consult a doctor as they suspected the pimple was actually cancerous.

“I remember trying to press it but it had such a strange texture,” Chelsea revealed.

“It was December 2020 – there was so much going on with COVID lockdowns and my pregnancy. I didn’t really have it in me to worry about a pimple.’

When the first biopsy came back normal, Chelsea felt relieved. But her doctor was not convinced and urged her to undergo more tests.

“I didn’t think it was necessary because my results were fine,” says the salon owner from Hobart remembered.

‘But the second biopsy showed that I had squamous cell carcinoma.’ She explained that it was a type of melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer.

Chelsea’s cancer diagnosis came the day before she gave birth to her son, turning a time of celebration into a time of devastation.

She remembers spending the 24 hours leading up to her delivery crying into a pillow.

“I was so anxious I couldn’t sleep at all,” she said. “I kept thinking about my son and what it would mean to him.

‘My cancer was bigger than me – my entire focus was on my child and the need to be absolutely present for him.’

At first, Chelsea couldn’t believe she had melanoma; she had only been sunburned three or four times in her life.

But realized she had been blasé about using sun protection because of her brown skin and South African heritage.

“I never thought sunscreen was important,” she said. “Especially for me.”

The mother had to wait five weeks before doctors cut into her nose and removed the cancerous tumor.

She spent that time going back and forth between fearing for her life and gratitude that doctors had caught her cancer at an early stage.

Doctors were able to alleviate these concerns by operating, but after the operation Chelsea had to deal with a new demon.

“The wound site was horrible, there was a crater the size of a two dollar coin on my nose with ugly cross stitches around it,” she said.

“It was stupid to think of vanity at that moment; at best my cancer was gone.”

“But God, it looked terrible. It was funky and raised on the sides, and my nose was different colors.”

Although Chelsea’s nose eventually healed well after a skin graft behind her ear, for months she thought there would be “a giant crater” on her nose for the rest of her life.

She said she wouldn’t have been able to get off the ground after the birth and surgery if it weren’t for her friends and neighbors.

“It was really hard to see people because it was during COVID times, but the community really came together,” she said.

‘My friends and neighbors organized meal trains, my parents stayed with us for a few weeks and I got these amazing baskets of chocolate, champagne and natural oils.’

Chelsea claimed that her life has taken on a whole new meaning after her health journey and that she has changed several of her daily habits.

“It completely changed my perspective on everything,” she said. “I’ve stopped sweating the small stuff and I’ve let things go a lot more.”

She added: ‘I definitely wasn’t as careful as I should have been, living in a place like Australia where the UV rays are so high.

‘I have a South African mother and we have never burned much. I think I’ve only been sunburned a few times in my life, and only after intense days at the campsite or on the beach.

“But I’m a different woman now: I wear sunscreen every day, even in winter and when I don’t expect to leave the house.”

Chelsea said she became extremely smart and paranoid after her diagnosis and cancer journey.

‘I put SPF on my son every day and he hates it, but I hope the crying will stop eventually. It is so important to be vigilant about your health and the lives of those around you.”