Melanoma prevention is more than just a cause to me; it is a passion that has expanded as a result of a personal experience with the disease. When my grandfather passed away in 2008 from melanoma, I witnessed first-hand the devastating effect this horrible disease has on both victims and their loved ones. Soon after his passing, I learned that melanoma is almost 100% preventable. I vowed then to make it my mission to raise awareness of this deadly cancer. My family and I became involved with fundraisers and 5Ks to raise money for melanoma awareness in our community.

A few years later, I became interested in the Miss America organization. As a fifth-grade Girl Scout, I had met Miss Massachusetts 2008. Each young woman who participates in a Miss America Scholarship Organization pageant chooses a platform, or a cause, they feel passionate about. As I listened back then to Miss Massachusetts speaking about her platform of body image awareness, she made a lasting impact on me and my peers. I knew immediately that I wanted to become Miss Massachusetts myself someday. My first step toward reaching that goal was to participate in the Miss Massachusetts’ Outstanding Teen pageant as a freshman in high school, and I chose my platform to be melanoma awareness. I named it “Melanoma Awareness: Educate. Demonstrate. Terminate.”

The Miss America organization served as an avenue for me to spread my message to a broader audience. I held a fundraiser to collect funds for educational materials to distribute to my former high school. Now, students at my alma mater are learning about melanoma in their health classes. I also created my own skin safety program for preschool and elementary school children. I aimed my outreach at children because they are so trusting and they truly listen to what they are taught. I knew that if I told them that they could get wrinkly by not wearing sunscreen, they would definitely wear sunscreen, and probably would convince their parents and families to do the same.

I have presented my skin safety program to many groups of children around the state, including Girls Scout troops, Boy Scout troops, preschool classes, school-age classes, library groups, etc. It is surreal to me that just as Miss Massachusetts visited my Girl Scout troop and taught me about her platform, I am now visiting Girl Scout troops and teaching them about my platform. Seven years after I first became motivated to achieve my goal, I am still working toward becoming Miss Massachusetts and I am amazed by how much this organization has helped me raise awareness of my platform.

I am very excited about my new partnership with Children’s Melanoma Prevention Foundation and this wonderful opportunity to expand my platform even further!

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Sun, Mr. Golden Sun Please shine down on me!

He is one of my closest friends. I sang about him in Barney songs and basically grew up with him by my side. He was all around me. Every day after school, my family would go to our cabana at The Breakers on Palm Beach and spend countless hours with him. Wherever I went-to the pool, the beach, the playground, nature walks with my dad-he was always there too. I would do my homework and then set out for whatever adventures lay before me in paradise.

He has been there through it all. All of my best memories from my childhood, adolescence, and now into adulthood are with him. He is home! He is literally everything I miss about home and the reason why I cannot stand the gloomy Northeast. He makes me feel better about myself-skinny, glowing, and beautiful. His personality is every color of the rainbow. He comes in through the window and fills any room with his booming personality. But he can make you feel cold and sad too when he is not there. I love him. I loved everything about him-he gave me meaning as a girl from the Sunshine State. Imagine that? A whole entire state named after him, that’s how loved, adored, and desired he is - there is no other place I would call home. His kiss was sweet-and it was not just a small kiss, but a kiss all over, and though fleeting, the memory of it is everlasting.

No matter how sweet he may be, though, or how happy he made me, or how many memories we shared, he would always burn me. He taught me to never fully trust anyone, no matter how you feel about their presence. But this took a long time to realize. Almost two decades, as a matter of fact. Mr. Sun and I recently went through a rough patch in our relationship. He stabbed me in the back and did something I just never thought would happen to me. His kiss and his burns became a cancer. He betrayed me in the worst way possible. How could he do this to me? We had always been there through it all together. He was my constant companion. His warmth set me free, but now he just felt cold and mean.

Scars are a constant reminder of where we have been and the trial and tribulations we have overcome, whether they are metaphysical or real. This was real. I have never felt a pain like this in my life. I could feel the burn in every part of my body-it was the most painful, eye opening experience of my life. I couldn’t walk for almost two months. I couldn’t bend over, go to the bathroom, sit, stand, bath, without pain. It took over me. Recovering from what he did to me was hard. He has humbled me and made me feel like less of a person. He took something away from me. He has robbed me of youth-it is something I will never get back, but something I have learned to get over. My mortality has become real to me-I have learned the hard way that I am not invincible. It was silly to trust him.

Someone I trusted to never hurt me, or slowly kill me for that matter, did the unthinkable. Sure he had done it to others before, still does it now, and will continue to harm those who are not wary, but me? Yea, right. In a million years I would have never thought my friend would do this to me.

But we always come back. Letting go of our relationship has been rough-I saw him in Punta Cana over spring break. He begged me to just soak in his warmth a little bit. I missed him-his touch, his kiss, the way he made me feel about myself, so I let him, and I got burned yet again. My parents yelled at me for seeing him. How could they not after what he did? I still miss him though, and wish we didn’t have to part ways so early in life. His friends try to give me the same feeling, but it is just not there. He is so natural and ever present, that I can’t replace him.

They say that time heals all, and that is true of some things, such as the scars he has left me with, but I believe that the many years we have left of trying to avoid each other will be an uphill battle. Our love-hate relationship may continue, but I refuse to get stabbed in the back by him again.

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The Friday before Memorial Day annually has been designated as Don’t Fry Day (DFD) by the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention (NCSCP). This day was chosen because Memorial Day is the unofficial kick-off of summer. It is a program that encourages sun safety and reminds everyone to protect their skin while they enjoy the outdoors. As one of 41 member organizations of NCSCP, the Children’s Melanoma Prevention Foundation participates annually in activities aimed at promoting sun safety awareness through the Don’t Fry Day message. We encourage school projects and embark on a social media blitz to disseminate the DFD message.

This year, as part of our advocacy efforts we decided to approach the Massachusetts State Legislature. Because it was too late in the legislative cycle to propose a bill, we chose to request an official proclamation that would be issued by the Governor.

As someone who is deeply involved with policy and government affairs I have a very good relationship with my State Senator and Representative. I called the offices of both State Senator Jamie Eldridge and State Representative Kate Hogan and spoke with their staff about my request. I want to stress here that one of the most important things to remember is that legislative staff are key players. They are knowledgeable and in some ways, it is more important to make a connection with them than the members themselves. I always advise those who are new to advocacy to form those relationships and not to be disappointed that they “only” get to meet with or speak to staff. They are the worker bees who get stuff done.

After speaking with staff, the next step was to send the request in writing. This does not have to be a formal letter; email is generally the best way to communicate with any government official.
When writing to your legislator, it is always advisable to begin by thanking them for their previous support. If you have never brought any issues before them you can look up their voting record, find an issue they voted for that is important to you, and thank them for their vote.

In this case both Senator Eldridge and Representative Hogan had supported the Massachusetts under 18 tanning ban bill , so of course I referred to that as a perfect segue. Representative Hogan is the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health and we testified on behalf of the bill before her committee. She was very supportive and instrumental in moving the bill forward.

Included in my email was background information on the Don’t Fry Day initiative and documents about the importance of skin cancer prevention along with my request. The staff took it from there. They contacted the Governor’s Constituent Services Aide who requested that I draft the language for the proclamation and send it to her directly. The Governor’s website has instructions and gives examples to aid in drafting this document: http://www.mass.gov/governor/constituent-services/recognition/#proclamation

After drafting the language and submitting it I followed up with the Governor’s office to be certain that the proclamation had been accepted. I spoke with the staffer who had been my contact and she told me that the proclamation would be ready in a few days. I could choose to pick it up, have it mailed, or receive an electronic copy. Taking no chances, I chose to pick it up in person and it now hangs in the CMPF headquarters.

This year I have asked these legislators to introduce a petition making this an official event yearly. It is unlikely that any bill passes the first year it is introduced. So, while the bill is pending we will continue to seek a proclamation each year. It is our hope that Don’t Fry Day will be added to the official Massachusetts calendar in the near future

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OMG, that's frightening! Our motto is to prevent skin cancer one child at a time and not to make the sun the enemy. However, UV reflectance photography provides a powerful personal snapshot of pigment change related to sun exposure. Because the camera system shows melanin deposits not visible to the naked eye it raises awareness about sun damage and the importance of sun protection.

For over a decade, we have used UV reflectance photography in our SunAWARE Program to educate children about skin cancer prevention. Children can clearly visualize their own skin and determine if they have sun damage. We remind children that they are not born with freckles but rather a genetic predisposition to develop freckling. We stress that melanin deposits develop at sites of excess sun exposure. We teach younger children that they need to give extra special attention to all areas where they have freckles. With older children, we educate them that freckles are a sign of sun damage and imparts an increased risk for skin cancer. We use this technology to drive home the importance of sun protection including sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, and shade to protect the skin and prevent further damage

Our very affordable and effective camera systems includes a newer model DSLR reflex camera adapted for UV reflectance photography by Life Pixel. We use the video mode for the demonstration and mount an 8-inch monitor on the hot shoe for enhanced viewing. Outdoors direct sunlight provides enough UV for imaging. For indoor programs, we use black lights for our UV light source. They are available online or at party stores. The black lights work by eliminating visible light while transmitting UV light. We position the black lights on either side of the subject.

Another benefit to UV reflectance photography is that it allows us to demonstrate proper sunscreen application. Because chemical sunscreens absorb the UV rays they appear black on the skin. We provide the child with sunscreen and ask them to apply it and then evaluate their application. We then ask them to look in the camera to see if they have missed any spots. Areas along the hairline, around the eyes, or rims of ears are common spots that people miss when applying sunscreen. We also demonstrate that sunscreens with physical blockers, titanium dioxide or zinc oxide makes their skin look lighter because they work by reflecting UV radiation away from the skin.

With skin cancer increasing faster than any other cancer in the U.S. and one person dying every hour from the disease, our hope is that we can provide children and the people who care for them with a simple lesson about personal risk and proper sun protection.

Leveret UV Camera System

1. DSLR Camera (Rebel T5 i)
2. camera battery Canon LP E8
3. Canon lens 0.16 mm 0.52 ft 24 mm lens
4. HDMI Mini cable
5. Tripod
6. light stands (2)
7. reflectors with clamps (2)
8. 2 black lights (22 Watt CFL)
9. 8 inch monitor (Ikan VH8-E6)
10. Monitor Battery Canon LP E6
11. Fotyrig 7 inch magic arm
12. battery charger(s)
13. extension cord
14. Extra batteries
    a. Canon LP E6 and LP E8

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