No one ever thinks that it will happen to them. But there I sat, in a church full of mourners as my friend buried her mother and Billy Joel’s goodbye my angel played overhead. Beautiful Lila, with her silky black locks and her flawless porcelain skins as white as snow, had lost her arduous battle with cancer. She would never help her daughter Ava pick out her wedding dress, watch Rileigh’s soccer games or cheer Nate on as he graduated from college. My tears were for them. These strong children were reassuring guests instead of being comforted themselves. Lila had always joked about her complexion and admitted to rubbing baby oil over her body and frying upon exposure to the sun as a teenager. It wasn’t a big deal at the time. After all, everyone was doing it.

We can’t live in glass bubbles protected from the wrath of the elements. We can’t live in fear of the forces of nature beyond our control. But what we can do is take the proper precautions to protect ourselves from the world and everything that conspires against us. We can fight back. We get mammograms and colonoscopies to detect the first signs of disease, but we overlook the simple application of sunscreen. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, affecting 3.5 million people annually.

Seminole’s own National Honors Society participated in the 2011 Relay for Life fundraiser in support of the American Cancer Society. Hundreds of people came out to participate in the walk and luminaries ceremony that went well into the evening as cancer never sleeps. While melanoma is only one form of cancer, it is the most prevalent. In the past thirty one years, there have been more cases of skin cancer than any other form of cancer combined. Seminole can be credited to raising over seven hundred dollars to donate to finding a cure.

Young girls ignorantly lay out in the sun for hours without a second thought in hopes of achieving the perfect tan. What they don’t realize is that melanoma is a disease, not a fashion statement. That bronze tone will seem impetuous in a few years when they find a spot on their neck and receive that dreaded diagnosis. I implore the youth of today to act now, and take their health into their own hands if not for themselves than for their loved ones. Those few extra minutes spent at the beach covering up in Neutrogena’s SPF 100 spray might make all the difference in the world. Soaking up the sun doesn’t have to be detrimental, if you are smart enough to take care.