I’ve finally decided to hang up my faded and battered cricket cap.
My trusty maroon cap has been my permanent companion for 14 years at White Coppice Cricket Club.
But fear not cricket lovers, I’m not retiring just yet.
If you didn’t read my blog yesterday, I was treated earlier this year for skin cancer.
A biopsy on an innocuous spot on my scalp was diagnosed as a Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) – which is the most common form of skin cancer.
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and I’m sharing my story to raise awareness of the fact that more than 210,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer – which include BCC – are diagnosed annually in the UK.
I’m no sun lover but it’s clear that 90 per cent of non-melanoma skin cancers are caused by exposure to the sun.
Dr Sofiane Rimouche, who is the consultant plastic surgeon who operated on me, is increasingly seeing a lot of cricketers and golfers who spend long periods of time in the sun.
Earlier this month England and Kent cricketer Sam Billings revealed he’d been operated on after being diagnosed with a malignant melanoma on his chest.
My BCC was on my scalp under my hairline despite the fact I always wear a cap when I play cricket.
“Is it UV protected?” asked Dr Rimouche.
“I don’t know,” I said. “It’s just a cap.”
It turns out that caps don’t automatically protect you against UV radiation so I’ve splashed out on one that does and retired my old cap.
The fact is that a lot of cricketers, myself included, only wear a cap and get the sun cream out in the middle of a heatwave. Ignorance is no defence.
Dr Rimouche has this advice for people who spend long periods of time outdoors: “Please try to wear factor 50 sun block all the time if possible, even when not sunny and do try to top up throughout the day, whether abroad or in the UK.”
Finally a massive thank you to all the people who responded to yesterday’s initial blog and asked how I was.
One message I had was from a woman who read my blog who called the doctor about a persistent spot on her chest that she’s been worrying about.
I have an indention on the top of my scalp where the cancerous lump was removed, and my modelling work has dried up, but I do feel very lucky.
Having had skin cancer before I’m more susceptible to getting it again so I have to stay vigilant.
I know someone else is reading my story and is worried about a mystery lump, a discoloured patch of skin or a lesion that won’t go away.
If that’s you, or someone you know, go and see a doctor. It could be the best decision you ever make.