Rothschild honored for dedication to melanoma awareness

Date: 7/2/2012

July 2, 2012

By Carley Dangona

carley@thereminder.com

WILBRAHAM — Roger Williams University awarded alumni Meghan Rothschild, director of Marketing and Communications at Wilbraham & Monson Academy (WMA), with the Young Alumni Achievement Award during the Alumni Weekend earlier this month for her dedication to educating people about the dangers of melanoma.

"I was not at all expecting this award," Rothschild said. "I've been on the alumni board for at least four years and honestly never expected to win an award. It's a huge honor to be recognized by the university — [the award] is validation of my work."

When asked her opinion about Rothschild's honor, Leanne Sedlak, friend and owner of Skin Catering Mobile Massage & Spa stated, "That's amazing and very deserving. Megan's young enough that they're [teenagers and young adults] listening to her."

Rothschild, a 2006 Roger Williams graduate, received the diagnosis of Melanoma at the age of 20, during her sophomore year of college, after years of being addicted to tanning beds.

"It was devastating," she said. "You're never prepared for a cancer diagnosis. I blamed myself for my behavior and the poor choices I made. Tanorexia is an addiction."

Despite her day job, Rothschild continues to speak about her experience in the hopes saving others from similar diagnoses.

"WMA is hugely supportive and allows me to attend speaking engagements," Rothschild said. "I'm a cancer survivor — that defines me. I will keep speaking and would love for 'skin cancer' to become a buzzword. The biggest message, first and foremost, to harm yourself for beauty is not worth it. There are so many healthy alternatives."

Now a cancer survivor or more than eight years, Rothschild speaks to audiences nationally about the dangers of tanning beds and her experience with melanoma. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Melanoma Foundation of New England and collaborates with the American Academy of Dermatology educating the public about the importance of skin protection from the sun.

For more information about Rothschild, visit www.survivingskin.org or email her at MRothschild@SurvivingSkin.org.

For more information about Skin Catering, visit www.skincatering.com.