2016 Olympic swimmer discovered he had cancer thanks to a mole

A fan saw a photo of swimmer Mack Horton, the 2016 Rio Olympics men's 400m freestyle champion, and announced he had cancer.

According to the Independent, an anonymous fan, after viewing photos of Mack Horton, discovered an unusual mole on the athlete's chest. This person emailed the Australian swimming team doctor, reporting that the mole on Mack's chest could be a malignant tumor.

Mack was then sent for a check-up. The test results showed that the fan's warning was correct. Mack was hospitalized and had surgery to remove the tumor.

Swimmer Mack Horton. Photo: Independent.

On Instagram, Mack wrote a thank you message to this fan along with a picture of himself in the hospital room with bandages still on his chest after surgery.

Mack recalled that the mole had grown larger and darker over the years. These were two signs, doctors said, that the previously benign mole had turned malignant.

According to the Australian Cancer Society, skin cancer accounts for 80% of new cancers diagnosed in this country. Australia also has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, 2-3 times higher than the UK, US and Canada.

According to VNE