
Thank you to Mayor Amy Goodwin of the City of Charleston, WV for your proclamation recognizing Don’t Fry Day. We applaud your efforts to raise awareness of skin cancer, encouraging the people of Charleston to take steps to protect their skin while enjoying the outdoors.
This wouldn’t have been possible without skin cancer prevention advocate Natalie Thomas. As a Stage 3 melanoma survivor, Natalie is passionate about education and prevention. Natalie recently helped secure the state-wide Don’t Fry Day proclamation signed by Governor Justice. Last summer, Natalie collaborated with IMPACT Melanoma to bring skin cancer education to the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta. She hosted a table and worked with a local dermatologist and sponsors to provide free sunscreen for the crowds. Inspired by her experience, Natalie reached out to WVHealthRight to talk about sunscreen dispensers. Her enthusiasm paved the way for WVHealthRight’s placement of 26 dispensers around Charleston! Another contact spoke to Natalie, placed two dispensers in the City of Nitro, and brought skin cancer prevention education to her daughters’ 4H club! Do you see why we think Natalie is a change-maker?
But that’s not all! Natalie recently started the non-profit Give Comfort, Inc. to provide comfort items to those undergoing cancer treatment in Kanawha County, WV. Recognizing that a warm blanket, soft head scarf, lip balm, or heating pad can help make the hard days feel a bit better, Give Comfort fulfills the personal wish lists of each patient they support. Natalie will be back at the Regatta this summer, spreading the word about Give Comfort’s services, promoting awareness and prevention of many types of cancer, and providing free sunscreen for all!
After her positive experiences with the state and city #DontFryDay proclamations, Natalie has announced that Give Comfort Inc. is available to help people request city and state proclamations for awareness and prevention of ALL types of cancer.
Thank you, Natalie, for your incredible advocacy. You are such a positive force, and we are so grateful for you! And thank you, again, to Mayor Amy Goodwin and the City of Charleston for recognizing the importance of skin cancer prevention!
Pictured from left to right: Councilman Joe Solomon, Councilman Dr. Frank Annie, Natalie Thomas, Mayor Amy Goodwin
Article originally appeared on National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention’s Facebook here