Cancer bracelets are about raising funds and awareness for any number of specific cancers. The awareness angle is usually one of you wearing a bracelet to show your friends, family and acquaintances that you support awareness and research.
But there's one day we can all wear bracelets to remind ourselves of the importance of our own actions. That day is "Don't Fry Day," held the Friday before Memorial Day.
"Don't Fry Day" is organized by the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention. It is a day that encourages sun safety awareness and reminds everyone to protect their skin while being outdoors.
The American Cancer Society estimates that one American dies every hour from skin cancer. The organization reports that skin cancer is on the rise, and estimates that this year there will be:
• More than 76,250 new cases of malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer; and
• More than 2 million new cases of other forms of skin cancer
And while the rate of many common cancers is falling, the incidence of melanoma continues to rise at a rate faster than any of the seven most common cancers. It is among the fastest rising cancers in the U.S. In 2011, more than 11,980 people died from melanoma and 3,190 died from other skin cancers.
Here's what the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention would like you to do on "Don't Fry Day":
• Do not burn or tan
• Seek shade
• Wear sun-protective clothing
• Generously apply sunscreen
• Use extra caution near water, snow and sand
• Get Vitamin D safely
They recommend we follow the Slip! Slop! Slap ... and Wrap routine: "slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a wide-brimmed hat and wrap on sunglasses."
And don't forget to wear your cancer bracelets to remind you to follow the guidelines for "Don't Fry Day."