By Jill Stark Medical Reporter
IN HER final weeks Clare Oliver achieved more than most people could hope to do in a lifetime.
Suffering from an aggressive form of skin cancer, she had two wishes before she died — to make it to her 26th birthday, and to warn the public about the dangers of suntanning.
Yesterday morning, less than three weeks after celebrating the first milestone at a party in Luna Park, she lost her fight for life. Tributes have poured in from around the nation, including from Prime Minister John Howard who described her death as "an appalling Australian tragedy".
Associate Professor Grant McArthur, the medical oncologist from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, who treated Ms Oliver, said she died peacefully about 8am surrounded by her mother Priscilla and close friends.
Professor McArthur said the extraordinary campaign she led from her sickbed had touched the nation's hearts and the overwhelming public support had comforted her mother. "We can't really begin to imagine the grief Priscilla is feeling. Clare is her only child and dearly loved. Priscilla … really wants people to have a message of hope that what Clare has done will have a lasting impact on all Australians at risk of skin cancer."
A regular solarium user who also enjoyed sunbaking on St Kilda beach, Ms Oliver discovered a lump under her arm three years ago, which was later diagnosed as a melanoma.
She believed it was her quest for a suntan that caused the cancer and, despite her frailty in her final weeks, fought hard to raise awareness of the dangers of solariums and sun exposure.
New State Government laws, announced in her name less than three weeks ago, will regulate the solarium industry and could soon be rolled out across Australia. Tough penalties will apply for operators who fail to display health warnings or who allow children under 16 to use sunbeds. State Health Minister Daniel Andrews said the laws were Ms Oliver's legacy and he had "no doubt" they would save lives. "It's a sad day, I was touched by Clare Oliver's bravery and my thoughts are with her family," he said.
Professor McArthur said the "unprecedented" response from governments had kept Ms Oliver positive in her dying days. "Clare has touched me deeply. She is a young woman with incredible strength and determination to see this issue through," he said. "I was a little reluctant when she said 'I want to take my message to the community through the media.' I said 'Clare you're very unwell, it will be difficult to do that'. But to be able to support her and the other members of our team who have helped her to stay well enough through recent weeks to get her message out, that's a privilege for us."
Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott, who has called on all states and territories to follow Victoria's lead and introduce uniform regulation of the suntanning industry, expressed his sympathy for Ms Oliver's family. "They will be grieving today but I hope their grief will be to some extent lightened by the fact that she was very brave," Mr Abbott said. "I think young people will get the message — don't overdo it."
Australian Solarium Association spokesman Patrick Holly expressed sadness at Ms Oliver's death but said solariums were not to blame. "There is no scientific proof of that and while she maintained solariums were responsible, it is impossible to say where her condition came from."
The Clare Oliver Melanoma Fund has been established with all proceeds going towards melanoma research. Yesterday its website was flooded with messages of condolence.