Resolve to Save a Life

Every New Year it’s the same thing. We resolve to get fit, manage debt, stop smoking, recycle more, and drink less. And usually we do a good job until the end of February when old habits start to creep back into our routines. This year instead of making the same perfunctory resolutions, resolve to make a difference in someones life.

Educate a young person about the dangers of skin cancer and malignant melanoma. Melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer is linked to excessive sun exposure in the first 10 to 18 years of life. All it takes is just one blistering sunburn in adolescence to more than double a person's chances of developing melanoma later, and according to the CDC, one third of US teens aged 14-17 had a sunburn last year.

Although children are not commonly diagnosed with skin cancer, it is becoming a more frequent diagnosis in teenagers. Melanoma is the second most common form of cancer for young people 15-29 years old and it is largely preventable. “Dear 16-Year-Me” was just named one of the most shared videos of 2011. It has a powerful message every teenager needs to hear. Please share it with friends and family. And resolve to prevent skin cancer.