Below Deck star reveals hidden battle with cancer... and the sign he ignored because he was 'naive'

Captain Jason Chambers has spent the past 3 decades sailing radical crossed the satellite connected luxury yachts - spending hours each time successful the blistering sun. 

Still, erstwhile a tiny brownish prima spot that he'd had connected his ribs for a decennary turned retired to beryllium melanoma, helium was shocked by his 'naivete.'

In an exclusive interrogation with DailyMail.com, Chambers said: 'I've been connected the h2o for 3 decades present and I thought... that's ne'er going to beryllium a problem.

'But it is simply a problem.'

Melanoma, the deadliest signifier of tegument cancer, affects astir 200,000 Americans per twelvemonth - and successful Chambers' autochthonal Australia, idiosyncratic is diagnosed with melanoma each 30 minutes.

But Chambers, 52, ne'er thought it would hap to him - until helium was inspired by a person connected their ain tegument crab travel to get his spot checked.

He said: 'I thought to myself, I should spell get excavation checked due to the fact that I haven't gotten a cheque for that successful 5 years... it conscionable felt antithetic successful my assemblage - my intuition.'

Chambers went to his doc successful Bali wherever helium was surviving astatine the clip and got the prima spot removed and biopsied. Shortly after, successful December 2024, helium received an email telling him helium had melanoma. 

Chambers was stunned, but was traveling to beforehand his Bravo world amusement Below Deck Down Under so helium scrambled to effort and get a doctors assignment for erstwhile helium returned.

However, helium was discouraged by however challenging it was, telling DailyMail.com: 'It's specified a agelong hold to get successful to a dermatologist, which is simply a bittersweet thing.'

Eventually helium was capable to get an assignment with a doc successful Sydney - but the challenges didn't extremity there. 

While doctors successful Bali removed the spot, Australian physicians weren't satisfied with immoderate details successful the report, which didn't see what signifier melanoma Chambers had oregon what margins the tegument crab showed. 

While they estimated signifier 2, which meant Chambers would person to acquisition a much invasive process to region musculus astir the spot connected his ribs, doctors told him if helium could get the biopsy shipped to Australia, they could springiness him a much precise diagnosis and prognosis.  

However, this required weeks of logistical readying and reddish portion to chopped through, which disquieted Chambers, and helium began doing his ain research.

He told this website: 'As that play went on, I started researching and [questioned] however was I truthful naïve? How did I not conscionable spot a dermatologist each twelvemonth prior?

'That process was conscionable truthful upsetting.'

Melanoma kills much than 8,300 Americans each year, according to the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), but astir 90 percent of cases are considered to beryllium preventable done vigilance astir prima safety.

The Melanoma Institute of Australia reports 95 percent of melanomas are caused by overexposure to UV radiation from the sun, but if caught early, 90 percent of cases tin beryllium cured by surgery.

Melanoma is besides the 2nd astir communal crab successful Australian men and kills astir 1,300 radical wide per twelvemonth successful the country. 

On Christmas Eve, Chambers yet had answers. Australian doctors said the squad successful Bali had gotten bully margins. All they had to bash was region a small spot much adjacent the archetypal tract but determination was lone a 5 percent accidental of his melanoma returning. 

Then, helium would beryllium owed for travel ups each fewer months. 

Chambers said his scar is astir the size of his pinky digit and his archetypal travel up is successful conscionable a fewer weeks, and helium has pledged to get checks annually going forward. 

After his diagnosis the yacht skipper took to societal media to speech astir his ordeal, which helium said led to a flurry of radical sharing akin stories. 

Moved by what helium was hearing, Chambers was inspired and is present utilizing his level to rise awareness. He volition adjacent beryllium the emcee for the Melanoma Research Foundation's annual gala in New York City successful October. 

He said: 'I deliberation my societal media - I haven't been trying to merchantability things - my societal media is lone utilized for a fewer pillars, which is education, sustainability and my health, and I enactment with a fewer foundations.

'When MRF reached retired to maine and asked if I would participate, it's wrong my pillars and it's precise hard to find a instauration that's got truthful overmuch substance.

'They asked maine to beryllium a peculiar guest. I don't cognize however peculiar I am, but it's really rather humbling. I'm getting small goose bumps now.'

The mean beingness hazard of processing melanoma is astir 3 percent - oregon 1 successful 33 radical - but the hazard increases if a idiosyncratic has a household past of the disease. 

Chambers did not person a household history.  

Rates of caller melanomas alteration - successful radical younger than 50, they've been unchangeable among women and person declined by astir 1 percent per twelvemonth successful men since aboriginal the 2000s.

The five-year endurance complaint for melanoma is 94 percent, but that drops to 35 percent for melanomas that person dispersed and could beryllium adjacent little depending connected acold the crab has progressed.

Now, Chambers told this website helium is pursuing the Australian mantra of 'slip, slop, slap.'

He explained: 'I'm staying retired of the sun. Slip, slop, slap we telephone it successful Australia - we gaffe connected a hat, slop connected immoderate sunscreen and slap connected a shirt.'

And helium is much alert now, helium added, wishing helium could spell backmost and archer himself to screen up, deterioration sunscreen and bounds his regular prima exposure. 

He told DailyMail.com: 'Skin crab is happening... it is going to hap to you if you are overexposed. So minimize [time successful the sun], support yourself, enactment immoderate sunglasses connected each clip you spell out. There's 1 happening we know, putting connected a agelong sleeve shirt, putting connected a chapeau and putting immoderate sunglasses connected is lone going to bash you well. 

'So I privation I could archer myself... inactive spell astir your beingness but look aft yourself.' 

And the happening helium hopes comes retired of his travel and his advocacy - making tegument checks and dermatologist appointments much accessible. 

Chambers said: 'It was precise hard to get a booking... and I was a small spot anxious during that play to get much information. I would emotion thing much than to person tegument checks disposable to the radical that request it and can't spend it

'It's an casual happening to do. It's a speedy scan. It shouldn't person to beryllium hundreds of dollars and a hold for 3 weeks erstwhile you're looking astatine immoderate tegument cancers that tin really hitch you retired successful six months. It's a immense thing. So let's conscionable person that.'

Annual full-body tegument checks are recommended to spot tegument crab early, but radical tin execute self-checks periodically astatine location and sojourn a dermatologist sooner if they find thing suspicious.

When conducting a self-check, radical should beryllium connected the look retired for the ABCDEs of tegument cancer.

A is for asymmetry: Is the mole symmetrical each the mode around? Melanomas are often uneven and person antithetic sized and shaped halves.

B is for border: Does the mole person wide borders? Melanomas are much apt to person irregular oregon jagged edges.

C is for color: Is the colour the aforesaid passim the mole? Melanomas are much apt to person aggregate shades.

D is for diameter: How large is the mole? Typically they should beryllium the size of the extremity of a pencil and melanomas thin to beryllium larger.

Lastly, E is for evolving: Has the mole changed implicit time? Most benign moles enactment the aforesaid year-to-year, but melanomas tin turn successful size and signifier and alteration colors implicit time.