Sam Billings, England’s wicketkeeper-batter, has revealed his battle with skin cancer. He is now committed to raising awareness among his teammates about the risks of increased sun exposure.
Sam Billings is a professional cricketer who plays for England as a wicketkeeper-batsman. He was born on June 15, 1991, in Pembury, England. Billings has also represented other franchise teams in T20 leagues worldwide, including the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sam Billings And His Experience With Cancer
On Tuesday, Sam Billings announced on social media that he underwent two surgeries last year to remove a malignant melanoma from his chest. The skin cancer was discovered during a routine examination at his county hospital in Kent. He said,
“It’s a full body screening where they look at every mole. There was one on my chest, by no means the biggest mole on my body, that the doctor, Andy Birnie, said didn’t look great. They decided I needed to have it removed so they could take a look at it.”
Two weeks later, he received a call from his doctor saying that the melanoma was getting really bad. He said,
“I never realized how much your chest affects everything else; just moving my arm was extremely painful. Mentally it was definitely more challenging than physically.”
This tragic incident had a significant impact on the cricketer. He said,
“It did give me the clarity of making decisions based on what I want to do rather than maybe just toeing the line and being seen to do the right thing. I have tried to do that over the years, and it’s sometimes resulted in carrying drinks. You realize that cricket isn’t the be-all and end-all. It’s hugely important, but you need to put things in perspective. It’s also made me much more empathetic.”
Also Read: Inspirational Story Of Matthew Wade Battling Cancer
Risks Of High Exposure To Sunlight
Sam Billings wants to express awareness about the risk of high exposure to sunlight. Excessive sun exposure can increase the risk of acquiring various kinds of health concerns, such as skin damage, sunburn, premature skin aging, and an increased risk of skin cancer, such as melanoma. He said,
“I’m not just talking about the pro game. It’s club cricketers, people who watch the game. I played at Lord’s recently and the sun was out, even if it wasn’t 25 degrees. It might only have been 18 but you can still get sunburnt. We treat it (applying sun-cream) like a bit of a chore, because the education around it isn’t as good as in countries like Australia. I’d like to see everyone in cricket working together: the sun is out, so let’s protect ourselves.”
So far, Sam Billings has played 3 Tests, 28 ODIs, and 37 T20Is for England. He also represents many franchises in T20 cricket globally, including Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Chennai Super Kings in Indian Premier League (IPL), Sydney Sixers, Brisbane Heat, and Sydney Thunders in Big Bash League (BBL), and Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars in Pakistan Super League (PSL).
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