Leah Debono (29) died from complications of melanoma

[Olivia]

http://mydeathspace.com/article/2017...ns_of_melanoma



Melanoma is such a terrible disease. I know two people currently differing with it.

A MAN from the Central Coast in NSW has posted a heartfelt declaration of love to his late wife, Leah, who passed away from cancer earlier this year.
Ben Debono lost the love of his life to melanoma just three months after they got married. The pair shared a passion for travel, and their dog Turbo.
But instead of staying put following her death ? he decided to fulfil their dream of travelling Australia.
Quitting his job and selling their house, Mr Debono and his kelpie Turbo packed up their Landcruiser 4WD and hit the road with her photo by his side.
?Not exactly the way we wanted to but made it, you?re never going to stop living though me & Turbo you will always be my wife & my one true love,? Mr Debono?s post to his travel page, Cruzin Australia read.
Heading north from the Central Coast of NSW, Mr Debono has snapped photos of himself and his kelpie sitting on rocks at the beach and setting up camp along the way.
Last month, he posted a photo of Turbo while at Double Island Point in Queensland, sharing how much he missed his wife.
?Missing my beautiful wife Leah because I know how much we were looking forward to do this trip together,? he wrote.
?Can really feel her presence more than ever, it?s what keeps me strong.?
Leah and Ben loved travelling together.
Mr Debono?s Facebook page, which has more than 10k likes, has been flooded with messages of support throughout his journey.
?This is both heartbreaking and the most beautiful thing I?ve ever seen,? one person posted.
?Bless you and your mate Turbo on your travels ... this is beautiful,? another added.
?You take care mate she would be proud I?m sure.?


http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/rea...edium=Facebook





https://www.facebook.com/Cruzin_Aust...4049713981096/

[thepits]

It is a horrible cancer. If my dog had not found my I was told by my doc I would have had 3 months to live. She had found a total of 6, one was stage 3. RIP in to angel dog.

[Bewitchingstorm]

So very sad.

Pits - wow on your beloved baby finding those. That is amazing.

[daisylane]

AH this is my fear. So much so i avoid it, which is fucking stupid. I've had one cut out, and it's back and i'm avoiding. I booked in to get it checked, got there, and they told me I had 'too many moles and to come back for a longer appointment' - booking that one took me 2 years. PISSHOLES.

This guy is amazing. RIP Leah.

[Olivia]

Leah's story is on 60 Minutes Australia tonight. Ugh.

Ben Debono is on the trip of a lifetime. Travelling Australia with no fixed itinerary or timeline, just the open road and his faithful kelpie Turbo.

But it?s all so bittersweet. The young tradie is on what should have been his honeymoon with new wife, Leah.

Just three months after they tied the knot, Leah died of melanoma aged 29. So instead of making beautiful memories as newlyweds, Ben has taken to the road alone with a photo of Leah in the passenger seat of his 4WD, spreading a sun safety message as he goes.


This Sunday on 60 Minutes, reporter Allison Langdon meets Ben on what would have been his one-year wedding anniversary, as he searches for answers surrounding his wife?s sudden and tragic death.

Like most Australians, Leah was sun-smart and knew the dangers of melanoma.

When she was 25-years-old Leah noticed an unusual mole on her arm and immediately had it examined by two separate doctors. They both reassured her she had nothing to worry about.


After meeting her sweetheart Ben, a self-conscious Leah had the lump removed purely for cosmetic reasons. Doctors sent off a biopsy. It was stage-four malignant melanoma.

?That?s the worst one you can get,? Ben tells 60 Minutes.

After having the surrounding lymph nodes removed, Leah was told her cancer hadn?t spread and she was given the all clear.

For the next three years, she went for regular check-ups ? her last just one week before her wedding. Each time she was given the ?all clear?. Leah did everything right.

Just one month after their wedding, Leah starting feeling unwell. The young couple excitedly thought they may have a baby on the way, but her GP said the symptoms were nothing more than post-wedding stress.

It wasn?t until Leah collapsed at work and was rushed to hospital that it became clear how the wrong the doctors were.

Even though she had been told she was cancer-free, it had in fact spread throughout her body. Leah never left the hospital.

?At the time of the wedding she was riddled with cancer,? says a heartbroken Ben.


?She would?ve had a brain tumour at that stage as well.?

Now, Leah?s parents and her husband are on a search to find out how the medical system could fail their daughter. How ? in a country with the highest rate of melanoma in the world ? can our GPs still get it wrong?

?The GP looked at it, assured her that there was nothing? Some trained professionals may not have done their job properly,? says Leah?s father, Lex.


They are also sharing their heartbreaking story in a crusade to warn other Australians about the risks of this deadly disease.

So far, on behalf of Leah $50,000 has been raised for the Melanoma Institute ? and Ben has been directly responsible for at least $40,000.

Ben and Leah?s love story is one so powerful it may in fact save your life. Be watching ?For the Love of Leah? this Sunday on 60 Minutes, 8.30pm on Channel 9.

https://honey.nine.com.au/2017/11/11...oma-60-minutes