Billings underwent two operations last year to remove a malignant melanoma on his chest, he said on his social media handles on Tuesday. He was diagnosed with skin cancer following a routing screening in his county Kent.
“I had a 0.6mm (deep) melanoma. The threshold at which it gets really serious is 0.7mm, so very close.
“If I had left that screening to go to the reunion and waited until my next one six months later, it could have been much, much worse. The margins are so small but can have huge consequences,” said the 31-year-old actor. -old told the Telegraph.
Billings played three Tests, 28 ODIs and 37 T20s for England. He currently plays county cricket.
He said his battle with the dreaded disease has put things into perspective for him.
“It gave me the clarity to make decisions based on what I want to do rather than just toeing the line and being seen to be doing the right thing.
“I’ve tried to do that over the years and it’s sometimes involved carrying drinks. You realize that cricket isn’t everything. It’s hugely important, but you have to put things into perspective. perspective. It also made me a lot more empathetic.”
He warned fellow players and fans of the dangers of spending too much time in the sun.
“I’m not just talking about the professional game. It’s the cricketers at the club, the people watching the game. I played at Lord’s recently and the sun was up, although it wasn’t 25 degrees. It there were maybe only 18, but you can still get a sunburn.
“We treat it (applying sunscreen) as a chore because the education around it is not as good as in places like Australia. I would like to see everyone in cricket working together: the sun is up, so let’s go protect ourselves,” he added.
