Hello to this great community, I'm new here and sharing my dad's story. 

He is 57years old and was just diagnosed with melanoma last week. I'm trying to gather information for him, while also processing and dealing with the news myself.

He remembers having a dark spot on his heel for at least a year, it could be more. It's only now that he's realised it's growing and changing in size that he shared with me and we immediately sought advice from a onco dermatologist who was certain it's melanoma without even needing to wait for the tests to come back (not a good sign!). A few days later he had a wide local excision and we're now waiting for results to confirm the stage and progression. 

I've read so much about "early detection" and can't help but feel like leaving such a large spot (7cm x 7cm - most of the sole of his heel really) untreated for such a long time (1year +) can't be good. Wondering how long others believe they've had theirs before having it checked? When they say early detection, on average how quickly people have any spots or moles checked? Is there a chance it won't have metastasized given the size and time past? I've also still not come across in forums of anyone with such a large affected area, so would really appreciate any advice or personal stories that can shed more light.

I know acral melanoma is super rare, but I remain hopeful to find some people who have gone through the same to share their thoughts. Equally, I'm happy to share info and photos with anyone who might be in a similar situation.

Thank you and sending positive thoughts to anyone who needs it today x