I was 29 when a doctors dismissed my deadly symptom that led to a stage 4 melanoma diagnosis with a low chance of survival. Here's my warning Courtney Mangan, from the Gold Coast, survived stage four cancer READ MORE: My head hurt - then I woke up in hospital with a deadly disease By SHANIA OBRIEN FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA Published: 09:44, 14 December 2024 | Updated: 09:44, 14 December 2024 e-mail View comments Courtney Mangan 29 when she was given a deadly stage four cancer diagnosis and an 18 per cent chance of survival. The business owner, from the Gold Coast , had been to the GP twice about a 'concerning' mole on her back, but they insisted she was fine.
It wasn't until she went to a skin specialist that the worrying truth was revealed. 'I had my first skin check at 29, which was already too late,' Courtney, now 38, told FEMAIL. 'I had a mole on my back that I never really saw - but my family told me it started to change and urged me to see a doctor.
'The specialist checked my whole body and said everything looked normal but I expressed my concern about the mole on my back so he took a cutting and sent it to pathology.' Courtney recalled the doctor asking her to call back on Monday and said the receptionist would give her the all clear - but alarm bells went off when she received an urgent call from her doctor on Friday morning. 'I was at work at my family business with my father and brother mere metres away from me.
My doctor said that unfortunately, my mole had come bac.