A young woman who thought she had a slipped disc in her back was devastated to learn that she had stage four melanoma.
Chloe French was first diagnosed with the deadly form of skin cancer at the age of 19, after a customer mistook a dark mole on the back of her ear for a pen mark. She had the mole and part of her ear removed to rid her body of the cancer.
Chloe, now 25, began suffering from back pain at towards the end of last year and believed that she was suffering from a slipped disc. She was shocked to learn that she had stage four melanoma and tumours in her brain, pelvis, shoulder and the top of her leg.
Within two weeks of being diagnosed, she underwent major surgery at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle to remove the tumour on her brain.
Chloe, from Berwick, Northumberland, said: “It was a massive shock. To be honest, to this day, it still hasn’t sunk in. I thought I had a slipped disc. I never in a million years thought my symptoms would be stage four melanoma.
“When I got diagnosed in February, I was numb. I didn’t take it in. Seeing my partner and my mum and dad’s reaction made me realise how serious it was.
“I never ever thought the mole I had on my ear would turn into what I’ve got now.
“You don’t think at this age that something like this would ever happen to you. It’s something that you see on the telly all the time and you think that would never, ever happen to me – and it did happen to me.”
Chloe was first diagnosed with Melanoma when she was working as a barista at Costa in Berwick in 2019. She said she became concerned about the mole on the back of her ear when a customer mentioned it to her.
She said: “One of the regulars said ‘you have got some Sharpie on the back of your ear’. I thought nobody has touched me with a pen! I looked and my mole was massive. It was on the back of my ear and I hadn’t seen it.
“I was told I had stage one Melanoma. I opted to get more of my ear removed and I had follow up appointments every couple of months just to check everything.”
Chloe said everything was fine until the end of 2022, when she began to struggle with walking. She sought medical advice and was given the devastating diagnosis on February 22 this year.
Two weeks later, in March, she had surgery to remove the tumour from her brain. Chloe said: “I had to have sit down showers and I couldn’t walk. I vomited once all over the car and that was not like me.
“I have got a massive scar on my head from where I have had brain surgery. It’s very upsetting knowing that your fate is in the surgeon’s hands.
“As the tumour was on the edge, they were able to get most of it removed. Then I had to go through radiotherapy to make sure it had been removed. I lost my hair and I got a wig from the Little Princess Trust.
“I’ve got little blots of the tumour but they only show up on an advanced scan. When they show up on an MRI scan, I have to get something done about it.
“I’m so lucky that they managed to get most of it out. It the tumour hadn’t been on the edge of my brain I don’t know what would have happened.
“If they hadn’t operated as soon as they had I could have had a stroke and been paralysed.”
Chloe, who worked as an admin assistant before falling ill, is currently undergoing immunotherapy and steroid treatment. She has scans every three months to check how she is doing.
She said: “It’s kind of working, it seems to be shrinking the other three tumours. I have kept quite a level head the whole time and been quite positive. I truly believe that’s helped shrink the tumours.
“I know I have got the scan coming up and things can go from being good to bad. I think if I have to hear they have grown again I will be very upset.
“People say to me ‘I can’t believe you have gone through brain surgery’. I don’t think half the stuff I have been through has sunk in.”
Chloe believes there needs to be more awareness of melanoma. She has urged anyone else who has concerns about their moles or their health to seek medical help as soon as possible.
She said: “I hadn’t heard of Melanoma when I got my first diagnosis. I think there needs to be more awareness of it. I do think melanoma is not talked about as much. It’s not brought up as much as other cancers.
“People aren’t as aware of it as they should be. If you leave it, it’s deadly and it can get into places you didn’t think it would, like your brain. I would urge people to be more aware of it.
“I have had three or four moles on my body taken off and it’s not nice. But I would rather have a tiny scar from a mole than the list of things I have got now.
“I do urge people to google what Melanoma is and how you can get it. If there’s something your not happy about or you’re worried about go to the doctors.
“You don’t want to let it get to stage four. It’s all about controlling and not getting rid, so it’s something that I will probably have for quite a while.
“It’s something you have to live your life with, that’s the sad thing about it.”
Chloe has praised her partner Ben Fairbairn, 25, her parents Gail, 57, and David, 56, her brother Matthew French, 22, her friends and Ben’s family for their ongoing support.
Ben, who works as a plumbing and gas engineer, her parents and Ben’s sister have also supported Chloe by getting matching tattoos.
Chloe said: “They all got two magpies for joy – for luck. My family have never left my side. My best friends have been absolutely amazing. They take me out lots and try to take my mind off it.”
Chloe’s family and friends have raised thousands of pounds for Cancer Research and the Teenage Cancer Trust following her diagnosis.
Gail and David, who both work at a local power station, have now set up a Go Fund Me page to help take financial pressure off Chloe during her treatment. More than £8,300 has been donated to the cause.
Chloe said: “My parents set up the Go Fund Me as I have not been able to work properly.
“I was starting to get really stressed about things I shouldn’t be getting stressed about. They just want me to be able to concentrate on getting rid of the horrible disease.
“People who have donated have relieved so much pressure. I’m honestly so grateful, it’s helped me so much.”
Gail said: “Chloe still goes out but it’s cut short because she gets too tired. She used to be the last man standing, should we say, and now she’s the first one home. During the day, she’s on her own. Normally she would be at work and now she can’t work. She’s sitting at home worrying about finances because she feels she should be at work. Being diagnosed with something like this doesn’t just have a massive impact on your help, but also your mental health.
“We set up the Go Fund Me as it became apparent quickly that the financial side of this diagnosis has a massive impact, as sad as it is.
“It’s a massive worry because your worrying not just about your health but your mortgage and your bills because you don’t get much help benefit wise, you really don’t. Everyone was rallying around to help but we can’t do that forever.
“If Chloe was to lose her house and move back home, she’s lost something else because of this illness.”
Join our WhatsApp communities
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
