A woman's tanning addiction has left her with a horrifying condition — a hole in the top of her skull.
Nickie Murtagh is a London mother of three who says she has a hole in the top of her head. The hole is a product of skin cancer, which she developed after spending years routinely visiting tanning beds.
Nickie says she had been going to tanning beds a couple of times a week since her 20s. Then, in 2016, she started to notice a strange spot on her head.
When she went to her doctor, she was told the spot was not a huge deal. “I visited my GP [general practitioner] twice and was told both times that it was a cosmetic issue and that it was only a cyst,” the 37-year-old mom said.
“They said that if I wanted it [removed] it would be by a private appointment.”
Nickie says that the spot just kept getting worse. Still, her doctor believed it was a cyst. Then finally, she had a biopsy. As it turned out, the spot was actually cancerous.
Luckily, Nickie was able to have the cancer removed from the top of her head. “I was awake during the whole process, and it was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” she said.
Now she's left with a large hole on the top of her head that she will have for the rest of her life.
Nickie also has a skin condition called melasma, which makes spots appear on her face.
"I don’t like how I look now," she says of the damage to her skin. "But that’s my battle scars and forever reminder that I have my life so will do everything I can to help push this horrid cancer awareness.”
Sadly, a lot of people have been cruel to Nickie online because of the reason for her cancer. "Some people remind me that I did it to myself, that I’m vain, and that I deserve it,” she revealed. But for Nickie, being alive is the most important thing.
“I’m lucky that I’m only scarred and I still have my life, so I will use it as best I can to save people’s skin and lives too.”
Now she uses TikTok to share her story and raise awareness about skin cancer.
