AFL great Dermott Brereton reveals he has skin cancer
AFL great Dermott Brereton reveals he has skin cancer as Hawthorn legend urges public to get checked out: ‘I’ve been through the wringer’
AFL legend Dermott Brereton has opened up about his battle with skin cancer and urged people to get checked out.
The 58-year-old Hawthorn legend had two melanomas removed from her thigh and chest and also underwent chemotherapy for a sunspot on her eye.
Brereton, who has won five premierships and works at Fox Sports, says he has “been through some tough times” amid this ordeal.
“Melanoma on my thigh and one on my chest, so they were cut out and through that I became very vigilant to look for all forms of cancer due to excessive sun exposure,” he said. herald sun.
‘I had another sunspot cancer cut out of my eyeball. We tried to get it with chemo drops, but I gave up in the end, they were too horrible.
Dermott Brereton has revealed that he has skin cancer
The AFL legend said the attitude towards sunscreen was different in the 1970s
Brereton kicked over 200 goals during his career and won five premierships
He has urged the public to get checked out after disclosing his skin cancer problem.
“I’ve taken my treatment cream morning and night for the past few weeks so it’s starting to calm down a bit now. That rips the shit out of you, but we all have to deal with things.
Reflecting on growing up in 1970s Australia, Brereton recalls how people who used sunscreen were looked down on.
“I grew up in the ’70s, anyone who used sunscreen was weak,” she said.
“If you went for the really heavy grade sunscreen, you went for 15 plus.
“We used to climb on a buddy’s tin roof and put on baby oil. That’s what we did in the ’70s, you breed them tough.
Brereton played for Hawthorn from 1982 to 1992 before ending his career with spells at Sydney and Collingwood.
He returned to the Hawks in 1997 as the club’s director of football, stepping down in 2006.
Brereton kicked 211 goals in 464 games and is widely regarded as a soccer great.