Former Australian test cricketer, Greg Matthews, is taking a ‘straight bat’ approach to an issue that’s close to his heart – skin cancer.
Greg has had numerous non-melanoma skin cancers removed over the years and says he wasn’t too concerned until he discovered that up to four Australians may lose their life to advanced non-melanoma skin cancer every day.
In fact, Australia has the highest rate of non-melanoma skin cancer in the world. Approximately 1,700 Australians were estimated to have lost their lives to advanced non-melanoma skin cancer in 2020.
To mark Global Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Awareness Day today, Greg is stepping up to the crease to launch a public awareness campaign.
“Australians need to be aware that advanced non-melanoma skin cancers can be deadly. Anyone that’s spent a life in the sun, but particularly blokes like me who didn’t have the benefit of slip slop slap when they were young, need to see the full picture of their skin cancer risk,” he says.
While anyone can develop non-melanoma skin cancer, it’s more common as you age and people who live an outdoor life are at significantly increased risk, including outdoor sportspeople, construction workers and farmers.
Talk to your healthcare professional about your skin cancer risk.
