Mother shows impact of skin cancer to persuade others to be sun safe

Deirdre Bonass: 'I’m sharing my story not to scare people, but to show the reality of living with skin cancer and going through treatment.' Pictures: Deirdre Bonass/Irish Cancer Society

A mother of six who has battled skin cancer has spoken out in a bid to persuade others to make sun safety a priority.

Deirdre Bonass, 56, told those looking for sun at home or abroad to take precautions and to cover up.

It comes as the Irish Cancer Society called on the government to introduce measures to make sun cream more affordable.

Deirdre Bonass: 'Nothing could really prepare us for how bad it would get.'

"I want to tell my story, not to scare people, but to show people the reality of living with skin cancer, the treatment and recovery process, and to encourage people to get ahead of cancer and take every precaution in the sun,” she said.

She added: “13,000 people a year get diagnosed with skin cancer in this country. Skin cancer can be prevented and my message is that treatment is not easy.” 

Deirdre from Wexford is currently in recovery from treatment for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) skin cancer.

“The doctor gave me a leaflet showing the stages of the treatment and the impact it will have on my skin — I showed this to family and friends so that they would also be prepared, but nothing could really prepare us for how bad it would get,” she said.

She told how at one stage blisters broke out on her face and there was a burning sensation that was “almost like running a hot iron over my face".

She said her skin is now almost back to normal and although the treatment was severe, "it was a lifeline to me". 

Suncream

Deirdre warned the cost of suncream poses a barrier to struggling families.

 Deirdre Bonass from Wexford is one of 13,000 people diagnosed with skin cancer in Ireland every year. 

“It can be expensive, particularly if you are trying to keep the kids safe in the sun. I know I have used suncream sparingly in the past because you’re trying to stretch out how long a bottle lasts. If we want people to protect their skin, we have to make it more affordable,” she said.

Irish Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Manager Kevin O’Hagan said Deirdre’s story shows the considerable challenges of going through skin cancer treatment. 

He said the Irish Cancer Society echoed her call for government action to ensure protecting your skin is not out of reach for struggling families in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

He said nearly nine out of every 10 cases of skin cancer are caused by UV rays from the sun or sunbeds.

“In the midst of record temperatures across Europe, in many typical holiday destinations for Irish tourists, we are particularly emphasising the need to follow the sun smart code, stay in the shade at peak times and stay hydrated,” he added.