We're anxiously waiting for the New Hampshire governor to sign a bill that will save lives by reducing skin cancer incidence and mortality rates in her state. Thanks to the tremendous efforts of ACS CAN volunteers, the New Hampshire House and Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill earlier this month that would prohibit the use of tanning beds for everyone under the age of 18. Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in our country, and rates have only been increasing over the past 30 years. The Friday before Memorial Day is Don't Fry Day an annual reminder to protect our skin from the damaging and deadly effects of UV radiation. The day is both a reminder about the importance of sunscreen when outside, as well as an opportunity to educate the public about misconceptions that still remain about the risks of indoor tanning. As folks in New Hampshire found, the best way to educate lawmakers about these misconceptions is through the power of personal stories. In fact, a Senate panel was recommending, 4-1, that the bill be killed until a person-to-person campaign launched in the final days of state session. There were many brave ACS CAN volunteers who shared their stories throughout the campaign to get the bill passed, but one family's story particularly stood out, that of Jason Jay Farley. At the young age of 30, Jay lost his life to Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma. He fought a 10-month battle. As his parents wrote in an op-ed to the Eagle Tribune:
Many years earlier, when Jay and his friends wanted to look their best for junior prom, he used a tanning bed for the first time. We didn't know then that using indoor tanning devices before age 35 increases the risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by 59 percent.
Jay's parents Brenda and Gary were staunch advocates for the New Hampshire legislation, lending their voices through testimony and media interviews. We credit their courage and passion with helping to pass the bill. In addition to Brenda and Gary's voices, melanoma survivors submitted letters to the editor in support of the legislation to prohibit indoor tanning by those under 18. ACS CAN volunteers also place an op-ed in New Hampshire's only statewide newspaper and did media interviews around the state. Their stories and persistence were the reason we were able to turn the Senate panel from strongly opposing the bill to ultimately passing the legislation. This Don't Fry Day, I encourage anyone who has a personal story about the dangers of tanning to share it with their friends, loved ones, neighbors and lawmakers. Together with the power of stories we can educate lawmakers and set in place policies that protect our nation's youth from battles with skin cancer.
Even as Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, ACS CAN will keep working year-round, across the country and with both state and federal lawmakers, to advance the public policies we know will reduce the burden of breast cancer.