Skin cancer widow warns of the danger of sunburn

gwarren@thekmgroup.co.uk A woman who lost her husband to skin cancer admits she shudders when she sees people sunbathing.

Ben Edge was just 31 when he died in January – leaving behind wife Sally and their one-year-old daughter Saskia.

The couple would have celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary next month, but instead Sally will be taking part in a charity walk in her husband’s memory.

The 39-year-old is using the event to raise awareness of the dangers of sunburn.

She said: “Ben was not a sun worshipper but was fair-skinned and had quite a few moles which, in hindsight, put him more at risk.

“He led a sporty, outdoor lifestyle and like most people got a bit burned in his younger days.

“Although I like sunny days like everyone else, it has made me so much more aware of the need to cover up or slap on the cream to avoid getting burned. I shudder now when I see people spread out in the blazing sun.”

While fighting the disease, accountant Ben campaigned through a blog called Me and My Unwelcome Visitors to raise awareness of skin cancer.

But he lost his battle and died with Sally at his bedside at the Pilgrims Hospice in Canterbury.

She and her supporters will be raising money for the hos- pice when they take part in the Moonlight Walk in Herne Bay on September 13.

Sally said: “A couple of friends were encouraging me to enter, then I looked at the date and realised it would have been our wedding anniversary and decided it was a sign.”

Ben lived with Sally and Saskia, now two, in St John’s Road, Faversham. Sally is a stay-athome mum but worked for many years for the English in Action language school in Canterbury.

She said: “His melanoma appeared on his shoulder, which is a vulnerable point, but it wasn’t considered a risk by his GPs for some months. Eventually, it was diagnosed as malignant in early 2007 and he had an operation to remove it.

“We thought that was the end of it, but the cancer returned under his arm two years later and he had to have a lymph node removed. He later had chemotherapy but the cancer was too advanced.”

Last year, with Ben’s encouragement, Sally did the Moonlight charity walk with a couple of friends and raised £1,600.

She said: “Now I am hoping to top £2,000, but I couldn’t do it on my own so there is a team of about 14 of us, including some of his former work colleagues at Coty in Ashford and some of my old work friends.

“I want to support Pilgrims because for me they were amazing – a shoulder to cry on and a confidante when I was confused and lost. For us, as a family, they enabled a little more happiness and peace during a terrible time

“It was a real relief to have Ben in the hospice where we could create a loving family environment and at the same time to have that support for all of us.”

To support their efforts visit justgiving/friendsofben.

The Moonlight Walk event from Pilgrims Hospices will take a 10km or 15km flat route along the seafront from the Kings Hall in Herne Bay to the Hotel Continental in Whitstable and back.

Entry is £15 per person with under-5s going free; team entries are also welcome. Visit www. pilgrimshospices.org for more information.

Ben and Sally Edge with daughter Saskia

Ben with daughter Saskia later in his illness