'I was addicted to using sunbeds - until I got cancer and almost died'

A SUNBED addict who almost died after getting cancer wants to warn others that skin cancer “isn’t just a mole being removed”.

- HOWARD LLOYD

Jak Howell was just 21 in June 2021 when he discovered he had stage three advanced melanoma.

The cancer had spread dramatically from a patch of skin on his back through to his groin and chest in the space of just two months.

At the time, Jak was using sunbeds up to five times a week for 18 minutes - a habit he had from the age of 16.

Two surgeries to remove tumours on his lower back and leg were not successful.

He went through a year of immunotherapy and was given the all-clear in December 2022.

Reflecting on his experience, Jak wants to raise awareness of the “later effects of mental health having cancer”.

The content creator, from Swansea, said: “It’s kind of surreal. I speak to my friends and say it almost feels like it didn’t happen. When they told me the surgery hadn’t worked and the last (immunotherapy) treatment was a final push, I'd been told if that didn’t work I'd have a year to live.