Mum, 57, told her ‘freckle’ was eczema, discovers pimple was actually stage four cancer
- A mother of three said doctors initially treated her cancerous freckle as eczema
- Years after she first saw the freckle, a biopsy revealed stage four cancer
A mother was shocked to find out that a freckle on her face was stage four cancer.
Kay Wootten, from Romford in London, claims doctors initially attributed the mark, which appeared in 2018, to eczema.
The 57-year-old was prescribed steroids and moisturizers to treat what was thought to be a skin condition – before a June 2022 biopsy revealed the cancer.
After the examination, the retired doctor’s assistant and mother of three was diagnosed with stage four melanoma.
She is now undergoing 12 months of chemotherapy and has had to undergo surgery to prevent the disease from spreading further.
A mother of three was shocked to discover that a freckle on her face was stage four cancer.
Kay Wootten was prescribed steroids and moisturizers to treat the thought of a skin condition – before a June 2022 biopsy revealed the cancer
Kay said, “All of this could have been avoided if they had just listened to me when things started to change.
“My whole life has completely changed – I’m trying to joke about it, but it’s really let me down.”
Kay said she first noticed the mark on her face in August 2018.
During the lockdown, her symptoms worsened and the freckle began to grow, itch and bleed – but she claims doctors insisted it was eczema.
In 2021 she was prescribed steroids and moisturizers which she used to no avail before finally putting her foot down in 2022 and pushing for a referral to a dermatologist.
Kay was then diagnosed with stage four melanoma and has since undergone surgery and more than a year of chemotherapy.
The 57-year-old is now undergoing 12 months of chemotherapy after first noticing the mark in 2018
Kay from Romford had surgery to prevent the disease from spreading further
She said: ‘The first surgery I had was to remove the primary tumor and then they realized that the margins around the tumor were not clear and there were still cancer cells in it.
“I had more removed and the edges still weren’t clear — I’ve had four cheek lifts in front of and below my ear and had a lymph node removed as well.
“I also had my thyroid removed because it tested positive for melanoma.”
Kay claims she feels “sick all the time” and “can’t do anything” because of chemotherapy.
She added: “I feel like next year will be a complete waste if they can’t get rid of it.
“You don’t realize how much of an impact it has on your family, too. It’s not just you involved, it’s your kids and that’s why you miss so much.’
Kay’s medical center and NHS North East London were approached for comment.