What Others Are Saying…
"Meghan Rothschild is a very special person with a special talent who has a
story that should be told to all of our students. Their use of tanning beds
is more than other populations and their peer, Meghan Rothschild, can best
inform them of the risks and dangers of their use. We had been using our
Dermascan once or twice a semester, but this year it was the centerpiece at
our annual "Spring Break Beach Party" and Meghan was the "Grand Finale". Our
Health Education Department will give this topic much more attention, become
more involved with campaigns and definetly plan on Meghan returning to our
campus. A BIG thanks to her!" Roger F. Jadosz R.N./Health Educator,
University of Rhode Island
"Without question Meghan Rothschild’s story is one that should be
heard by every college student in the country. The silence in the room is
a testimony of how she is reaching her audience and the questions at the
end of the presentation were non stop. Many of the students I know personally
mentioned that after hearing her speak they will think twice about going to a
tanning salon." Donna Lynn Darmody, Director of
Health Education - Roger Williams University
"I am a college Nurse Practitioner and Health Educator and I see
young college women with year-round tans. I see tanning salons
soliciting and I know as a former tanning consumer how hard it is to
break the trend of tanning to be beautiful. I recognized the huge
problem on our campus and heard of Meghan from my colleague. Meghan has
revently been the success of our "Your Skin Is In" program, teaching
students about the dangers of tanning and pledgning not to tan.
Upon meeting her personally her story truly hit home. I thought how
lucky I am not to have melanoma as well. Her story could happen to any
of us. When you listen to Meghan's story, that of a college student
going tanning to look prettier, you feel familiar. You then hear of her
cancer you feel sick and devastated with fear, and you feel her pain.
She tells her story with truth and emotions and you are right there with
her. When she is done, you look at her and cheer that she is here today
to tell her story and you think about the dangers. She makes you think!
When she speaks she captivates her audience with her story because it is
real and she is real. She is a beautiful youthful model. College women
certainly look to her as a role model. She is poised, mature and wel
educated. She is active in the New England Melanoma Foundation and so
many other avenues of melanoma awareness. Since speaking, students and
colleagues have commented "That was a great program" ... "I learned so
much, I will never tan again..." I watched the students during her
program and they were captivated. After the program, students came up to
tell Meghan they would not tan again. A comment made afterwards was that
they liked Meghan's program because it was real and she told her story.
Meghan told me this was her mission and if she reaches just one
person she is happy. Meghan Rothschild truly is passionate about her
cause. Don't miss out on the opportunity to have Meghan speak... it is a
missed opportunity to save someone's life. In our program 100% of our
attended students pledged not to tan!" Lauren
Dansereau, Nurse Practitioner and Health Educator, Western New England College
"The program definitely affected me. As an avid tanner of two years, I
had no intention of letting a program affect me. But it did just
that-- Meghan's story literally made me sick to my stomach because of
the realization that tanning can kill anyone. Cancer has no standards of
who can and can't get sick. After attending the program I never want to
get in to another tanning bed." Jillian Saley,
Freshman, Western New England College
“Your presentation was very timely, extremely informative, deeply
personal and thought provoking; most importantly, I believe that it may
cause some people to change their behavior. I think that many people
assume that skin cancer is just a lesion that is removed from their skin
easily---they do not understand that it might require major surgery,
especially in a young adult. What you endured after your diagnosis
hopefully will help them understand the consequences of tanning. It was
a distinct pleasure to meet you, Meghan, and I look forward to working
again with you in the near future.” Mary
Kay Connell, R.N.P. Director University Health Services, Salve Regina University
“With her warmth, youth, and extensive knowledge about melanoma, Meghan connected easily and
well with our sophomore girls. Relating her personal experiences, she was an effective educator who helped our girls resist the social pressures to
use indoor tanning methods.”
Dr. Cheryl
Jenkins, Director of Counseling & Health Education, St. George's School
Meghan is a compelling speaker. Her presentation style is professional and authentic. She is very poised and knowledgeable and holds the audience’s
attention. This was demonstrated most recently at our Teens on Tanning Forum where she shared her experience as a melanoma survivor. Her presentations to
our audiences of students are always extremely well received and she clearly has
an impact on the lives of others. – Amy Mason, Melanoma Foundation of New England
The week of February 23rd-27th marked Northeastern
University’s skin cancer awareness and prevention week. Sponsored by the
on-campus group Colleges Against Cancer and the American Cancer Society,
students were educated on the prevalence of skin cancer in our society
and the unhealthy behavioral choices associated with an increased risk
of skin cancer. The educational program consisted of on-campus
informational events, a night lecture, and a free skin analysis for all
students provided by the American Cancer Society. Amongst all of the
planned events, none was as successful or as well- received as the
presentation given by Meghan Rothschild, a young melanoma survivor on
the night of February 25th.
Over 100 students attended the presentation to hear Meghan’s story. Upon
hearing about the planned event, students were instantly intrigued.
Meghan was only 20 years old when she was first diagnosed with melanoma.
The fact that she could get cancer at such a young age simply shattered
the student’s perceived invincibility. One female student said
“The sheer fact that she was so young and so much like me is what drew
me to the event”.
Meghan’s presentation was personal and extremely educational. She
utilized both anecdotal evidence as well as scientific research to
discuss her experience with skin cancer. The student’s were greatly
impacted by her candor and sincerity. Meghan was willing to share
pictures of her body throughout her intensive treatment. By sharing her
battle wounds so bravely, Meghan helped to prevent others from going
through the same experience.
The evening had a great impact on the student audience. The
presentation was described as “incredibly moving” and “truly inspirational”. Students accustomed to regular tanning sessions reported
that they would reduce their number of visits to the tanning salon. Over
half of the student audience (54%) agreed that they would not attempt to
achieve a tan this season after listening to Meghan’s lecture and 98% of
the students in audience reported that they would begin to wear
sunscreen consistently. Meghan Eaton,
Northeastern University |
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