A MOTHER-OF-TWO is hoping to raise awareness of skin cancer after being diagnosed with the disease less than a year ago.

Imogen Cheese, 35, was diagnosed with stage 2c malignant melanoma in June last year after finding a mole on her back.

If discovered early enough – usually before the melanoma breaks the skin - patients have an eight in 10 chance of survival.

However in Imogen’s case the mole on her back had already broken the skin.

There is currently no cure for melanoma and for Imogen there is currently no treatment past having the mole removed – which she did last summer.

Now Imogen, who lives in Randwick, Stroud, has to wait and see if the melenoma spreads to any other parts of her body - but she has no idea if this will be months or years down the line.

“I didn’t think skin cancer was that bad and I definitely didn’t think it was something you could die from,” said Imogen who has a son Joseph, eight, and a daughter Harriette, six.

To raise awareness about the disease she will be running the 10km race at Westonbirt Arboretum for ItTakes7, the British Skin Foundation charity dedicated to funding research into melanoma and skin cancer treatments and a cure.

To sponsor her, log on to justgiving.com/it7-melanoma-rollercoaster-5319e2f803889