Chelsea Tantum, a 30-year-old woman from Manchester, has died after a battle with advanced melanoma, a form of skin cancer. Tantum was diagnosed with melanoma two years ago, but by the time of her diagnosis, the disease had already spread extensively to her spine, ribs, pelvis, lungs, liver, spleen, and breast. Earlier this year, she was informed that the cancer had reached stage 4 and had metastasized to her brain.

Tantum began using sunbeds at age 15, motivated in part by a desire to achieve a tan comparable to that of her peers. Despite the legal age restriction requiring users to be at least 18 years old, she was never asked to provide identification during her visits to tanning salons. Following her diagnosis, she became an advocate for stricter enforcement of sunbed usage regulations, particularly pushing for mandatory age verification measures at tanning salons.

Her family, including relative Lee Craven, paid tribute to her resilience and dedication to raising awareness about the dangers of sunbed use and melanoma. Craven described Tantum as someone who “never gave up fighting” and used her personal experience to educate others about the risks associated with artificial tanning.

Tantum’s funeral is scheduled to take place next Friday. Her campaign highlights ongoing concerns about the accessibility of sunbeds to underage users despite existing laws, as well as the broader public health risks linked to artificial tanning devices.