‘I was told I had cancer – but the doctors were wrong'

Megan Royle, 34, had her world turned upside down. Then another bombshell was dropped…

Sitting on the sofa next to my dad, I noticed something odd as I scratched my arm – the mole on my arm had become bigger. “Dad, I think I should get this mole checked out,” I said to him. I’d had it for a long time, but only recently had it become itchy and got bigger. “I’m sure it’s nothing, love,” he said. “But better to be safe than sorry.”

I booked an appointment and managed to see my GP a few days later. He thoroughly examined my mole and referred me for a dermatology review at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. There, a dermatologist took a biopsy of my mole to determine whether or not it was cancerous. Just a week later, I was called into the hospital to receive my results and was asked to take my dad with me.

That was when the consultant delivered a blow I wasn’t expecting… “Megan, you have melanoma – a form of skin cancer,” he said. I was stunned. I was pale and had freckles but was always careful in the sun. I was only 29 and couldn’t believe it.

Just a few weeks later, I was sent to the Royal Marsden Hospital’s specialist cancer unit for my first appointment. My sample had been reviewed again and the consultant confirmed it was melanoma. “You’ll need surgery to remove the cancer, and immunotherapy to stop it returning,” he explained. He also told me there was a chance the treatment would affect my fertility and that I could freeze some of my eggs. I wasn’t thinking about kids, but I knew I wanted to be a mum one day so jumped at the chance to preserve my fertility.

I only had a week to take everything in before I underwent surgery, where surgeons cut a 2cm-wide excision of tissue to remove the cancer and the surrounding area. The recovery was painful and left me with a long line of stitches on my arm. I was also unable to do my job as a theatrical make-up artist.

Just a few weeks later, in January 2020, I began the process of freezing my eggs. It was incredibly uncomfortable, but thankfully they managed to freeze 11 of my eggs. A month later, I began immunotherapy and it quickly took its toll on my body. I felt incredibly nauseous most days and rashes appeared all over me. I’d never suffered from depression or anxiety before, but after my diagnosis I felt sad and angry.

To make things worse, Covid lockdowns came into effect as I was going through my nine cycles of treatment, which meant that I couldn’t take anyone with me. I decided to move to Yorkshire to be closer to my loved ones, though I had to continue my treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. But after months of gruelling treatment, I was given the all-clear in Feb