Brisbane widow takes to construction sites to warn of melanoma risks

Source: ABC News, June 2015

A Brisbane mother of four is helping to prevent melanoma in outdoor workers across Australia by sharing her personal story — one construction site at a time.

Jo Crotty lost her husband Ryan from melanoma six years ago, leaving her a widow with four children under the age of five.

The personal loss prompted her to develop Danger Sun Overhead, a program she has delivered to more than 25,000 workers across Australia with Melanoma Patients Australia.

I come home and my kids ask ‘how many lives did you save today, Mum?’ They know what it’s all about.

The program educates outdoor workers on prevention, awareness and early detection of skin cancer.

“I share my story as it is relevant to the industry as my husband was from the industry," she said.

“We are in one of the harshest countries in the world and we do have the highest diagnosis of melanoma in the world.

“It is really important that the message goes home with them and it is not just for workplaces — it is about getting the word out to the Australian public."

Ms Crotty holds short presentations on site, explaining simple ways for workers to undergo skin checks.

She said they all react to the information in different ways.

“With some of these guys, they are tough … they think nothing can touch them," she said.

“Yet initially it is about getting the workers to take ownership of their own skins.

“My goal is to reduce the impact of this horrible cancer, melanoma."

Saving lives across the country

The former hairdresser has taken the program across Australia, often visiting the same construction site each year.

Ms Crotty said the feedback from workers who have already seen her presentations was always gratifying.

“They show me their long sleeves or tell me they’ve had a skin check," she said.

“I’ve even had phone calls from some workers telling me that I’d saved their life.

“One worker told me they had a Stage 2 melanoma pulled out and said to me ‘if it wasn’t for you, I would be a story like yourself’."

Safety manager Richard Monjo said his company invited Ms Crotty on site regularly to speak to workers.

“She comes out to every project in Queensland and New South Wales, usually just before summer," he said.

“You would think that many know the dangers, but you remember the days when we would put olive oil on us to be sun-bronzed Aussies."

Leaving a legacy

Bringing up four children alone has been a challenge for Ms Crotty, but she said her children understood why she developed the program.

“I come home and my kids ask ‘how many lives did you save today, Mum?’ They know what it’s all about," she said.

“I do this as I don’t want other people to go through what I have had to go through; it is my normal now."

Ms Crotty said she would continue to carry out the program, but hoped that once more workers knew how to protect themselves the program would not be needed anymore.

“If I have had something to do with that [creating awareness] I’ll be really happy," she said.