Chelsea Tantum was 15 when she first used a tanning bed.
What started as a game with her friends, who competed to see who could get the best tan, became a habit that lasted nearly a decade. She said she was never asked for ID, despite being underage.
She was diagnosed with melanoma at 28, and by then it had already reached the lymph nodes in her groin. After surgery, the cancer continued to spread through her spine, ribs, pelvis, lungs, liver, and spleen.
She eventually needed a wheelchair and palliative care, but immunotherapy gave her a reprieve: a scan showed no disease in her organs. Shortly before her 30th birthday, an MRI revealed that the cancer had returned in her brain.
Chelsea died on September 30, aged 30. Before her death, she asked tanning salons to check their clients’ ages and raised more than 4.000 pounds for Melanoma Focus. No source proves that tanning beds were the sole cause, but she always linked them to her illness. A new mole or one that changes shape or color warrants prompt medical attention.
