Ashley, now 40, has had three separate bouts with melanoma and was confident that she beat it each time. Last May, Ashley was on her third clinical trial and was hoping to beat it for good. Nine months later her tumors have her in tremendous pain, left the left side of face paralyzed and she was terminal.
“If there's one person's life that I can affect, then that's a beautiful gift that I could give to somebody ‘cause I don't want them to end up like me at all,” said Ashley. “It's just not worth it. I can't express that enough. It's just not worth it", stated Ashley in her hospital bed.
Melanoma is very real and can affect young to old. How many people have to suffer before we realize that tanning beds are very dangerous and kill? Many states are taking steps to ban tanning beds for teens and have imposed heavy taxes on tanning salons.
This is a free country and we have the right to choose how we live our lives but be educated about your decisions. Don't wait until it's too late. Think of Ashley the next time you consider tanning in a bed or laying out in the sun without sunscreen. Ashley lost her life to melanoma and her last wish was to educate everyone on the dangers of tanning beds. Let's all honor her for her courage and thank her for her story.