Man given year to live after being obsessed with sunbeds from the age of 16

Government guidance states users should leave 48 hours between tanning sessions.

Jak was ordered by his GP to go straight to hospital after sending off an image of the concerning spot on his back.

He believes he was initially in denial that the spot could be a sinister consequence of his sunbed addiction.

Hero docs at Singleton Hospital made a 2cm incision in his back to remove the mole and sent it off to be assessed.

A few weeks later in May 2021, Jak found out he had Stage 3 Melanoma and 12 months to live.

Jak said: “When I was younger, a lot of my friends were older than me and they were going on sunbeds. 

“And as you do when you’re younger, you follow the crowd. 

“You do all these things to try and fit in. 

“I started going on sunbeds when I was 16. 

“I was underage to begin with which was very immature and silly of me but I was using them here and there. 

“About 18, I fell into the loophole of properly going on sunbeds. 

“And I think when you start, it’s something you find hard to stop.”

Experts believe 20 minutes on a sunbed is the equivalent to four hours in the sun.

They pelt the skin with such UV rays stronger than Mediterranean UV at midday.

Jak’s 100-minute-a-week habit caused a spot on his lower right back to start itching.

Not knowing the dangers of sunbeds, he thought it was just an insect bite. 

Melanoma skin cancer is the most deadly form of the disease, taking the lives of 2,300 every year. 

And men are 69 per cent more likely to die from the illness.

Two operations to remove the cancer from his back and groin failed to eradicate the cancer.

Jak was thrown a lifeline by chemotherapy which he is currently undergoing, meaning he has outlived the 12 month frame docs initially gave him.

Things are looking promising for Jak and he hopes at the end of the year to kiss cancer goodbye forever. 

He added: “I’d tell little Jak to be confident in himself and that he doesn’t need to do all these silly things to make himself feel like he fits in. 

“I’d tell him to know his worth. 

“I’d tell him to be prepared for things that are coming.”

Jak has used his devastating experience for a greater cause and uses social media to spread awareness about the dangers of using sunbeds.

His TikTok profile has since garnered millions of views and 251,700 likes. 

According to the Sunbed Association, there are around 4,000 tanning salons in the UK.