Sun safety warning after young Mayo man's death

A woman who lost her Mayo husband to skin cancer has warned of the importance of sun safety.

Tom Walsh, originally from The Neale, was just 32 when he lost his life to melanoma last April. His wife Aislinn, aged 31, from Rush, Co Dublin has shared her heartbreaking story with the Irish Cancer Society.

“If sharing mine and my late husband’s story even gets one person to check a mole they're not sure of, put on sunscreen as they’re waiting on the kettle to boil, or even gets someone second-guessing getting a tan this summer, I don't think it will have been shared in vain,” she said.

Tom worked outdoors as a gardener and greenkeeper. He practised sun safety but developed a mole on a part of his head that wasn’t covered by his sun hat.

The mole later disappeared, and when he went to his GP about it, they were unconcerned as the mole wasn’t visible and no further action was taken. Several months later, Tom’s health took a turn for the worse.

“The first indication that anything was wrong was in January 2024,” says Aislinn. “Tom had a seizure during the night, so I called an ambulance. We went to A&E that night and he went for MRIs. They told us that they could see lesions on his brain that looked like melanoma.

"They never found the primary tumour. They did a brain biopsy in April 2024, when it was confirmed he had melanoma that had spread to his brain. He did a course of palliative radiotherapy for ten days, then immunotherapy which ended in August 2024."

Tom had proposed to Aislinn shortly after he was diagnosed and the couple planned to marry in Beaumont Hospital. However, he started to improve and was able to leave hospital in late October.

“Around St Patrick’s Day, I had a feeling that something was amiss." explains Aislinn. "I noticed changes in Tom’s energy and a slight difference in his walk.

“At the end of March, I called one of his nurses and described some new symptoms to her and she said it sounded like a stroke, and I needed to call an ambulance.

“When we went to hospital, they found that what was actually happening was that the tumour was pressing on his brain and causing a deficit on his left side.” 

As Tom’s health continued to decline, Aislinn took time off from her job as a primary school teacher to become his carer. Shortly before he passed away in a hospice, Tom got five nights of care from the Irish Cancer Society’s night nursing service. This gave Aislinn and her family, who the couple were living with, a chance to sleep and gave them comfort.

“It meant that I was able to get a couple of hours’ sleep, and I can’t imagine how any of us would’ve gotten through those nights without the night nurses," says Aislinn. "They’re literal angels. They’re such special people to do what they do.

Tom passed away in a hospice on the April 29 last with Aislinn by his side. After he was diagnosed and as he was going through treatment, he made sure that both he and Aislinn took care of themselves and developed strong coping skills.

“Tom was really thoughtful and considerate,” says Aislinn. “After he was diagnosed, he went for counselling and encouraged me to do it too. He was also very clear that we needed to continue to do things that filled our own cups, like walking the dog, going to therapy sessions, and seeing friends. And I still live that way now.

“When I’m with Tom’s family in Mayo, I feel him there, and when they’re with me, they feel Tom is near too. In everything, his message was always to focus on life and to appreciate that life is a blessing,” she added.

Aislinn is sharing her story to pay tribute to her beloved husband, and to encourage people to protect their skin from the sun.