Clare Oliver
Encyclopedia
Clare Oliver was an Australia
n woman whose own health crisis prompted her to become an activist, garnering wide media coverage for her campaign to ban the use of tanning beds. She had wanted to become a journalist
and wrote a story before her death that was published in newspapers all over the country. Oliver's melanoma
was first discovered as part of a health check-up shortly after she had been employed by SBS Television upon completion of a media degree.
Oliver was diagnosed at the age of 21. She gained publicity on 22 August 2007 by announcing in an open letter that she only had days to live due to melanoma
and stating her goal was to reach her 26th birthday. She did, and celebrated at Luna Park in St Kilda, Victoria
. Oliver died less than three weeks later, on 13 September at the Caritas Christi Hospice in Kew.
The Australian government has since made previously voluntary code practices mandatory in the use of tanning beds in Australia. The Victorian government
introduced new legislation in February 2009 to tighten the control of solariums and prohibit people aged under 18 from using them.
Oliver is survived by her mother, Priscilla Lau Oliver.
in general and the destructive nature of skin cancers.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n woman whose own health crisis prompted her to become an activist, garnering wide media coverage for her campaign to ban the use of tanning beds. She had wanted to become a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and wrote a story before her death that was published in newspapers all over the country. Oliver's melanoma
Melanoma
Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...
was first discovered as part of a health check-up shortly after she had been employed by SBS Television upon completion of a media degree.
Oliver was diagnosed at the age of 21. She gained publicity on 22 August 2007 by announcing in an open letter that she only had days to live due to melanoma
Melanoma
Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...
and stating her goal was to reach her 26th birthday. She did, and celebrated at Luna Park in St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
. Oliver died less than three weeks later, on 13 September at the Caritas Christi Hospice in Kew.
The Australian government has since made previously voluntary code practices mandatory in the use of tanning beds in Australia. The Victorian government
Government of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
introduced new legislation in February 2009 to tighten the control of solariums and prohibit people aged under 18 from using them.
Oliver is survived by her mother, Priscilla Lau Oliver.
Legacy
Oliver's legacy is her vehement disapproval of the use of sunbeds in communities. In her life she campaigned for their complete ban and her legacy pertains to the dangers of sun tanningSun tanning
Sun tanning or simply tanning is the process whereby skin color is darkened or tanned. The process is most often a result of exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or from artificial sources, such as a tanning bed, but can also be a result of windburn or reflected light...
in general and the destructive nature of skin cancers.
External links
- Clare Oliver Melanoma Fund
- ABC 7.30 Report video: 'The Dangers of a Deadly Tan', 21 August 2007. This was Clare's first public warning on the dangers of solarium use.
- ABC Extended Interview with Clare Oliver