Clare's life ended this morning. 26 years old, the last four spent fighting melanoma.
As a nineteen year old, Clare entered a solarium with the promise of twenty for the price of ten deal. She stopped after ten, because, as she wrote, she was feeling pain from the treatment. Her mother had voiced concerns, which a nineteen year old Clare passed off with "But mum, everyone does it."
She has lost her voice, now, but as I promised to this remarkable young woman, whom I never met, her memory will give voice.
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Update
Solarium skin cancer victim Clare Oliver dies
ReplyDeleteSKIN cancer victim Clare Oliver has lost her battle, dying in hospital this morning.
Ms Oliver, who turned 26 late last month, had campaigned in her final days to raise awareness of the dangers of tanning salons.
Ms Oliver who died of aggressive melanoma, captured Victorian hearts when she spoke out against tanning and solariums.
Her plight sparked the government to action with Health Minister Daniel Andrews promising to frame legislation to ensure that tanning salons adhered to age limits for clients and insisted on parental consent forms from customers aged between 16 and 18.
Mr Andrews said the industry's voluntary code of practice would be written into Victorian law, with penalties applying for businesses which breached the regulations.
Under the laws, solariums would be required to give health warnings to customers about the risks of using tanning beds and must obtain informed consent.
"That will be about making sure that every single Victorian who uses these services gets the proper information and provide informed consent and be clear and understand the risks that they are taking," Mr Andrews said at the time.
"I think ultimately that may well save lives."
Shortly before her death, Ms Oliver - who aspired to become a journalist - wrote a moving account of her battle.
Hundreds farewell skin cancer campaigner
ReplyDeletefrom news.com.au
HUNDREDS of friends, family and others touched by melanoma victim Clare Oliver in the weeks and months before her death gathered to farewell the 26-year-old in Melbourne today.
Ms Oliver, who died last week, campaigned in the lead-up to her death against solariums, which she blamed for her terminal skin cancer.
Mourners filed quietly into the bluestone St Michael's Uniting Church in the city as a recording of Ms Oliver's voice in a radio interview was broadcast to the street outside.
Among those filling the pews of the church to remember the high-profile cancer victim were broadcaster Neil Mitchell and her doctor, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre oncologist Grant McArthur.
Long-term friend Steven Trong described Ms Oliver as sweet and innocent, yet feisty.
Professor McArthur said his former patient had touched many people, including politicians such as Prime Minister John Howard.
"She made politicians listen and act and she could stop the Prime Minister in his tracks," he said.
Ms Oliver's death after a three-year struggle with the disease has sparked a rush to mole scan clinics for check-ups, while skin screening clinics say they've been inundated with calls from worried people.
A song was written at
ReplyDeletehttp://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=73764
Video is at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giuaqDMaq9Y
or here, at
http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=73925