“Over the years, because of my fair Celtic skin, I would have been very conscious of any changes in my skin. When I was younger, I was a bit more foolish using sunbeds and sitting out on sun holidays not wearing enough protection. Because I had a few moles, I would go and get them checked regularly for any changes. When I noticed this black spot, I contacted my doctor and was sent for a biopsy. I was in total shock when they told me it was skin cancer. Not only that, but it was malignant melanoma.”

As this was still during the pandemic period, Linda received the news of her diagnosis on her own. “I think when I went to get it checked out, I was a bit in denial about it being anything serious. At that time in 2021, Covid restrictions were still in place, and I opted to go alone for the results. When I got the news, I couldn’t believe it. All sorts goes through your mind. I rang my husband from the car outside, and I just remember thinking we’ll get through this.” 

A week later, Linda was in for wide local excision (WLE) surgery to remove the cancerous cells and surrounding area. “Thankfully that time, all I required was that surgery including a skin graft and I needed no further treatment. My skin doesn’t heal very well and I ended up needing extra dressings due to difficulties. Since then, I have had skin cancer four more times –including Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC).”

In February 2023, Linda decided to get a patch of dry skin on her forehead checked out by her dermatologist. “I had this dryness and irritation for a couple of months, but it was over winter. I was moisturising and I even put Vaseline on it but was still dry. It plays on your mind. I was asking myself if I was imagining this dry spot. I felt like a hypochondriac but then I decided to get it checked out. My skin cancer was back. This time, I was required to apply Efudix chemotherapy cream to the affected areas. This was a six-week programme, and the only way I can describe applying the cream is that it is like sticking a hot iron to you your face. I found it excruciating.”

At this time, Linda has enrolled in a Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship post-grad course in Trinity College. “Up until the pandemic, I was an art teacher and I had always been a bit creative. Coming out of Covid, I decided I’d try something different and went for this course. The college were brilliant and gave me the chance to defer but I was determined to finish as I was two months into the programme. It was then that my confidence was really knocked because this cream made my skin so raw. It looked like I had been in a fire. It was around this point when I came up with the idea of the face shield. I got a factor 50 child’s swimsuit and I fashioned a face shield out of it – it covered up my raw skin across my forehead and temple but it also protected me from the sun. It was actually through the college course that I developed the idea further for an assignment.”

“It was with college work that I started to really explore skin cancer, just how preventable it is. There is almost an unspoken disregard for skin cancer – I felt this myself and so too did other skin cancer patients experience similar. There is this sense out there that skin cancer almost isn’t even a real cancer – it’s surface level, there’s no real danger of it getting to your organs, you’ll be fine with a bit of cream or minor surgery. I think that brings about a shame and embarrassment among skin cancer patients to even talk about their diagnosis. Since going on this journey and turning my college project into a business, I have stood in rooms and spoken to people and asked them if they knew anybody with skin cancer. And when I tell my story, you see more people open up – I have seen work colleagues and close friends put their hand up to say they had skin cancer and the person sitting next to them never even knew about it. The reality is, more people in Ireland get skin cancer every year than breast, prostate and lung cancer combined, and it is 86% preventable – we should be shouting from the rooftops how important it is to protect your skin and how you can do it.”

Linda is sharing her story to raise awareness of skin cancer and to encourage people of all ages to take protecting their skin all year round seriously. “Since my first diagnosis in 2021, I have had recurrence and four more skin cancer diagnoses. I think it is so important that people are vigilant about their skin and any changes they might spot. You have to go and speak to a medical professional about them and get any unusual changes checked out. With the support of Enterprise Ireland, I’m turning my passion to raise awareness and to provide people with a face shield product that protects their skin and a supportive interactive community on its website sunireprotect.com with information and education about skin cancer. Most people don’t realise that wearing layers isn’t enough. A cotton t-shirt you might wear on your holiday, that is the equivalent of factor 5-7 sunscreen. You need sunscreen underneath that t-shirt. I wear a lot of denims and more woven materials because they have a higher UV protection. There is an education piece that we have to grasp and get out to the wider public. Even if it helps just one person, that’s why I’m sharing my cancer experience.” 

To find out more about signs and symptoms of skin cancer visit Skin cancer | Irish Cancer Society

5% of the proceeds from this product are generously donated to the Irish Cancer Society. Please note that the Irish Cancer Society has not researched, tested, or clinically endorsed this product.