A tanning addict who survivedCarmen Oakes admits she was ‘stupid’ to squander her ‘second chance at life’ by continuing to visit tanning salons regularly.She was given the all-clear after a successful operation.In January this year, doctors found a four-inch mass in her right lung and delivered the devastating news that she hasThe mum-of-two, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, told Mail Online: ‘I was playing with fire, but me being stupid, I thought “oh well, they’ve just cut it out”.
She started to experience pain in her shoulders and arms in September 2021 but blood tests and visits to a rheumatologist could not identify the issue.She went to A&E after waking up with ‘excruciating’ pain on the left side of her chest, when doctors found fluid around her lung. A CT scan in January this year revealed a mass in her left lung, which was later confirmed to be cancerous.
The following month, medics confirmed Carmen had metastatic melanoma whichhad returned from her previous diagnosis. And in a further blow, they said they could not remove the tumour as it was attached to her blood vessels and heart chambers.