A mum-of-two died due to a skin cancer she thought was gone.
Diane Cannon, 55, spoke of how her 'bubbly' niece Claire built a family, graduated with a first class psychology degree, and abandoned sunbeds after having a melanoma removed in her early 20s, leaving an "awful scar" in her back. But in 2012, Claire felt unwell, tired and run down. A doctor checked out hard, swollen glands under her arm, revealing the melanoma was back, more aggressive and spreading in the lymphatic system, a network that runs throughout the body.
It "was one of the most horrific times" for the family, who didn't know the cancer could lay dormant, according to Diane, who was there when Claire died in a hospice. Skin cancer looms over the family, with Diane's dad, brother and two sisters all having had it in various forms since 1995. Diane, who was only nine years older than Claire, found it particularly hard, saying: "You just lose hope, you really do. She was a young woman with a life ahead of her, and she's gone."
