Clare Oliver

Who was Clare Oliver?

Clare Oliver was an Australian woman whose own health crisis prompted her to become an activist, garnering wide media coverage for her campaign to rise awareness about the risks of using solariums excessively. She had wanted to become a journalist and wrote a story before her death that was published in newspapers all over the country. Oliver's melanoma was first discovered as part of a health check-up shortly after she had been employed by SBS Television upon completion of a media degree. She went to Presentation College Windsor in her high school years.

Clare didn't blame her melanoma on solarium use, but admits that excessive tanning at the beach contributed to her cancer. She believed that the government doesn't realize the dangers of solariums, and that young people need to be educated about the dangers of solariums before making any decisions regarding their use.

Oliver was diagnosed at the age of 21. She gained publicity on 22 August 2007 by announcing in an open letter that she only had days to live due to melanoma and stating her goal was to reach her 26th birthday. She did, and celebrated at Luna Park in St Kilda, Victoria. Oliver died less than three weeks later, on 13 September at the Caritas Christi Hospice in Kew.