A beloved mum-of-two was hit with a devastating diagnosis after what she thought was just an infected toenail turned out to be a rare cancer. Donna Bointon, from Middlesbrough, had been going back and forth to her doctor’s surgery for five years but seeing no improvement despite treatment.
Eventually she was referred to hospital where a procedure in February revealed she actually had acral melanoma. This disease is an uncommon form of skin cancer that forms on the palms of hands, soles of feet and under nails.
Speaking to Teesside Live, the NHS housekeeper recalled her diagnosis. Donna, 46, said: “I had a poorly toe for five years and was backwards and forwards to the GP.
“Finally they sent me to the hospital to get the side of it taken off and they discovered an acral melanoma, it grows underneath your nail beds.
“I didn’t expect it to be cancer at all, I’d had this infected toenail for a long time.
“I was on antibiotics, using different creams and it wasn’t clearing up. Over the five years it had been growing so it was quite a deep melanoma.”
The truth of her condition was a “shock” to both her and her family.
“It scared my kids to death, it was a shock to us all,” Donna said. “Everything has changed – it’s baffled me that it’s cancer.”
Doctors amputated her toe but the cancer spread to her lymph nodes and she is now undergoing immunotherapy.
The treatment uses substances made by the body or in a laboratory to boost the immune system and help the body find and destroy cancer cells.
As well as living with the shock of the diagnosis, Donna said she now walks with a limp and can no longer enjoy the active lifestyle she once had.
She said: “I can’t go in the sun, I haven’t been to work since February.
“I’ve worked there for 24 years and have never been on the sick and worked constantly. I’ve gone from full-time working, going to the gym and being active to now walking with a limp.
“I have to have physio and my shoes are different, everything has changed. I just hope and pray that the cancer doesn’t attach itself to any of my organs because now I’m high risk.”
As a show of support, Donna’s family, including her two sons and partner, took part in a 20-mile sponsored walk at the beginning of May to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.
Donna said she is “incredibly proud” of them all and has been overwhelmed by the support.
The GoFundMe target was set at £1,000 but the fundraisers have smashed the total by raising more than £2,600. The page is still open to donate here.
According to the Melanoma Research Alliance, signs of acral melanoma can include:
- A black, grey, tan, or brown spot; patch; or discoloration on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
- Any changing spot that may be growing on the hands or feet
- A new or changing mole on the hands or feet: this may appear suddenly or gradually, and it may be larger than other moles on your skin
- Darkened streaks or discolorations that run vertically across the bed of your toenails or fingernails which can ultimately cause breaks and cracks in the nail
- A spot or patch on the hands or feet that itches, bleeds, or is painful – these may be signs that the cancer is growing or spreading.
If you notice any symptoms you should speak to your GP.