Kristy Maloney
Hi, my name is Kristy Maloney, I am a 40-year-old single mother to 3 amazing children (Brianna 17, Charlotte 7, and Tyler 3). I currently live on the gold coast but lived in Sydney growing up until I moved here with Brianna in 2008.
When I was growing up, we owned a caravan in Toukley NSW that we would travel to most weekends and school holidays. I remember spending most of my childhood at the beach, playing netball, watching my siblings play sports. We where always outdoors. I did not like the beach and my parents would cover us kids in Sunscreen. My skin has always been very fair, so mum was always applying it together with pink zinc. But I would always end up with a red nose after any outdoor activity. School back then was not like today and we where never forced to apply sunscreen while doing sport or any outdoor activity.
Fast forward to 2015 I started to notice a small sore like bump on my forehead, it was flaky and would come and go. I ignored any signs that this could be harmful. I fell pregnant with my last child and pushed the bad thoughts to the side. I did not think much of it at the time or believe I could get skin cancer because I hate the outdoors and spent most of my time doing indoor activities, I had no idea my ignorance would change my life dramatically…
The scabby type sore become more prominent in the beginning of 2016 when I went on a small holiday with my children and best friends. During that holiday I started to notice it more in photos and it began itching the more I was out in the sun. On return from that holiday I reached out to my GP just to be sure. He advised straight away that it needed to be removed. He took a biopsy that day and referred my immediately to Gold Coast Uni Hospital as an urgent case.
The next month I was in an appointment with the maxillofacial team. Whilst there the re biopsied
my forehead. I was told I was put on the surgical list and I would be contacted within the month for
surgery. My case was missed at the appropriate level of urgency and I called to follow up. The
hospital was then alerted that I should have been in earlier. Once recalled for a surgical consult the
surgeon was examining my forehead again and a student doctor asked if I had ever had my nose
checked. As I was totally unaware of anything on my nose, he requested a biopsy in 4 spots across
the left side of my nose. To my surprise it came back that my nose was covered in BCC and it needed
to be removed.
The next month I was in an appointment with the maxillofacial team. Whilst there the re biopsied
my forehead. I was told I was put on the surgical list and I would be contacted within the month for
surgery. My case was missed at the appropriate level of urgency and I called to follow up. The
hospital was then alerted that I should have been in earlier. Once recalled for a surgical consult the
surgeon was examining my forehead again and a student doctor asked if I had ever had my nose
checked. As I was totally unaware of anything on my nose, he requested a biopsy in 4 spots across
the left side of my nose. To my surprise it came back that my nose was covered in BCC and it needed
to be removed.
First operation – Removal of BCC from forehead, removal of BCC from nose, skin graft from my ears to replace the thin paper wall of my nose due to collapsing (see above).
First consultation after surgery – I was told the operation was successful and all BCC was removed
from forehead and nose. But the grafting did not hold and became infected. (no photo available).
Which led to another operation to be booked for the coming weeks.
Second operation – was to fix the infected skin grafting around my nose. At this operation I was
informed if this cannot be repaired, I would need to think about the possibility of forehead flap
surgery or loose the whole left side of my nose.
Second consultation – I was advised the graft was not fixing itself and I needed to make the decision
about our next step. So, we booked in for forehead flap surgery for December 2017.
Third Operation – Forehead flap surgery. Surgery went well and I was
discharged 2 days later to spend time with my children over Christmas Day.
Third Consultation – Was to check the flap, and to discuss the removal of the forehead flap stem in
January 2018.
Fourth Operation – Forehead flap was removed, and a revision of the original forehead site was done. I was left to heal over time.
Fourth surgical consultation- was to view healing process and this continued over a few months.
Since then I have had another 4 small day surgery operations for cosmetic reasons.
My skin is still healing, and scarring is still visible.
My next visit is booked for November 2020.
On Thursday to 22nd of October I have just currently had another skin Cancer frozen off on my forehead next to my scarring from forehead flap so they may need to retest those areas in case of regrowth. Or New growth
This whole process has changed my whole life, I fear the sun and any outdoor activity makes me very anxious. I have missed a lot of my children’s milestones and have no confidence at all anymore. Whilst I know how lucky I am to be here with them I still wonder what life would be like without my
scarring, without the constant starring or rude comments made by other people. I am only now starting to talk about my experience and I’ve done this story with Jay in the hopes I can help people realize that cancer in any form does not discriminate against anyone’s skin color or age. My surgeons were mortified at my age and the amount of BCC that was throughout my face. I remember so vividly multiple times the surgeons apologizing to me for having to deal with this at such a young age. I wish I had of listened to my gut feeling many months before I did. So please if you have any tiny thoughts that something is not right please, I urge you to have it checked.
This photo is me now (note though I am wearing makeup)