Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, and two home-grown men have shared their personal scares with the world this week in hopes of raising awareness of the life-threatening disease.
Just yesterday Hugh Jackman shared a photo of himself with a plaster across his nose, explaining, “An example of what happens when you don’t wear sunscreen. Basal Cell. The mildest form of cancer but serious, nonetheless.” Basal cell carcinoma is not an invasive cancer, but it does require treatment as some cases can develop into non-melanoma skin cancers. “PLEASE USE SUNSCREEN and get regular check-ups,” Hugh urged.
The Bachelorette‘s Dave Billsborrow also experienced a major scare, sharing a series of photos across his Instagram account yesterday. “A message for everyone to go to a skin clinic and get checked out. Skin cancers can happen to anyone! I’m all good, but unfortunately people are to [sic] late,” he wrote alongside an image of him in a hospital bed, bandage wrapped around his head.
Looking at Dave’s photos, it all began with a small lesion on his scalp and resulted in surgical staples spanning half of his noggin. His girlfriend, Sarah-Mae Amey, who is also part of the Bachie family, shared Dave’s close encounter on social media as well.
“My poor little bandage head @dave_billsborrow Such a trooper!! A huge reminder to us all that it’s so important to get your skin cancer checks #StillSmiling #SkinCancerAwareness,” she wrote on Instagram.
This is a lesson for us all. In the words of Mary Schmich and later Baz Luhrmann, “Wear Sunscreen”. If you have any concerns, locate your closest skin cancer clinic here.
