Spectator warns swimmer Mark Horton of cancer risk from mole
A spectator emailed the Australian swimming team to ask that 400m Olympic Champion Mark Horton have a mole checked. The swimmer thanked the fan after surgery.
A fan's warning may have saved the life of Olympic 400m freestyle champion, Australian Mark Horton. The Australian medical team received an e-mail from a spectator saying they'd noticed a change in colour on a prominent mole on Horton's chest.
Swimmer Horton says thank you on Instagram
The 20 year old swimmer has now published a photo on Instagram, after having an operation: "Shout out to the person that emailed the swim team doctor and told me to get my mole checked out. Good call. Very good call."
The Olympic Champion is still waiting for the results of a biopsy of the affected tissue, told the Herald Sun: "I Think the person must have been a specialist who saw me on television during the Rio Olympic Games".
Horton also said that if he met the person who'd spotted the mole he'd offer him a free swimming lesson.
Australia has highest rate of skin cancer in the world
Australia has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, with around two thirds of individuals being diagnosed with some form of skin cancer by the time they are 70.
Cancer experts advise that individuals should seek medical advice if they note any change in the size or colour of a mole or if it becomes itchy.