At age 29, Andrew Rust and his wife Kiralie had just become first-time homeowners and were the doting parents of a bubbly little girl named Madelaine.
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It was 2002 and life was good.
Even the discovery of a lump in his left groin failed to dampen Mr Rust's spirits.
After all, it was just a hernia, he told his doctor, who agreed and suggested they set up a time for him to have surgery to remove it.
Fourteen years on, Mr Rust has cheated death more times than he wants to admit and undergone at least 10 surgeries to remove melanomas from his body - the first, when the would-be hernia turned out to be a tumour instead.
The Helensburgh father admits his surf-loving lifestyle as a young man, at a time when the "slip, slop, slap" campaign was not yet in its prime, no doubt contributed to his decade of hospital visits, trial melanoma drugs, and the now daily self-examinations.
"Part of my advice to people is to get regular skin checks," he said, as he joined 300 people at the second Wollongong Melanoma March in Stuart Park on Sunday.
"I think the reason I've survived as long as I have is because I get regular checks and have therefore caught the reoccurences early."
Also joining Mr Rust at the march was Bettina Corbo and Ruth Davey, both of whom shared their stories.
Mrs Corbo lost her husband, Peter, to melanoma just a month ago.
"He was diagnosed in January 2014, the same day that I'd received good news that my thyroid cancer was on track to clear up," she said.
"He had a small lump the size of a mozzie bite on his left upper arm that was really sore," she said.
"He had it ultra sounded then got a biopsy and melanoma was confirmed.
"One moment he was a healthy, active man; then a week later he was diagnosed with a terminal illness."
Ruth Davey's melanoma journey was paved with misdiagnosis, with the Central Coast mother having to consult three doctors before she received the right news.
"I just knew something wasn't right," she said of her scepticism of the first two diagnoses.
"I got it in 2010. It started as stage three then in 2012 it became stage four. It was hereditary for me."
Despite her bleak prognosis Mrs Davey said she felt incredibly lucky.
"I have the best support," she said.
"My husband gave up work 18 months ago to look after me."
The next meeting of the Illawarra support group for melanoma sufferers and their families is on March 27 at Port Kembla.
Email jay.allen@melanoma.org.au for more information.
