Sun Safety

Joe died of melanoma at 21 years and 266 days. The message of his life is both hopeful and cautionary.

• Hopeful in the manner that we can all aspire to the example he set as a person and friend.

• Cautionary in the sense that we can be vigilant with respect to spending time in the sun and monitoring our skin for any anomalies.

To understand how the sun views us, please watch this great video by the artist Thomas Leveritt:

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Some Melanoma Facts & Figures:

• One American dies every hour from melanoma.

• You have a 2% chance of being diagnosed with melanoma.
  

• Of the seven top cancers, melanoma is the only one where the incidence of diagnosis is rising and over 80% of the cases are caused by UV radiation, i.e. exposure to the sun.
  

• Joe is not the exception. Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for people 25-29 years of age and the second most common form of cancer for those 15-29 years old.
  
  

Melanoma is treatable and beatable.

Protect your skin for time spent outdoors.

Visit your dermatologist for regular examinations.

Early detection is the key to beating melanoma - be vigilant!