Imagine having lost a child to a killer. Imagine having lost the child only a few
months ago and her first birthday in heaven was approaching. Imagine checking the mail one day, and you
find a birthday present for your child…from the killer.
In essence, this just happened to Susan Hayes. You may be familiar with her daughter Jillian’s
story. She was a young woman who was
diagnosed with advanced melanoma at a far-too-young age. She blamed tanning for her melanoma, being
quoted as saying, “laying out in the sun and tanning beds pretty much screwed
me.” Yet, despite Jillian’s difficult
illness and eventual passing, she and her mother worked diligently to raise
awareness. Erecting awareness billboards
in Michigan and North Carolina, sharing their story on TV, and sharing the
deepest feelings on Susan’s blog…I believe it’s safe to say that they have been
responsible for saving the lives of many others with their efforts. If ever there was a candidate for a Susan B.
Komen of melanoma, Jillian would be near the top.
Today, Susan checked her mail and found the following:
Yes, it’s a free birthday gift from the very tanning salon that
contributed to Jillian’s death…sent to Jillian.
I can’t imagine the range of emotions that Susan must have felt. I felt outrage…and I’ve never met the
family. I have no doubt that Susan will
turn this sick irony into a spin to raise awareness even more. She’s good that way.
I understand that TropiTan had no malicious intent by sending this to
the Hayes household. I once worked for a
company that dealt with mass mailing, and there’s no thought process at all. Letters or postcards are sent to everyone in
a database, period. Jillian was probably
in the database as a past customer or merely because she was listed as a local
girl in her prime tanning years.
Regardless, I’m still mad at this mailing. Just read the postcard!
“Look amazing for your birthday with a head turning, jaw-dropping
golden glow that is GUARANTEED to get you noticed.”
While mailing this to Jillian was an unfortunate and ironic mistake,
there are hundreds of others that will receive this same “gift” in the mail
with the intent of luring young image-conscious girls into the tanning
world. The industry will claim health
benefits and safety measures, but will most likely never mention a word about
the increased chance of a melanoma diagnosis by 75% or more. They won’t mention the wrinkles and aging
that occurs (perhaps a more effective message to these girls). They won’t mention that tanning is banned for
minors in several states and other countries.
No, they’ll merely offer a birthday “gift” from their new “friends” at
TropiTan.
That is, assuming they’ll be around for the next birthday.
