Darren's Story
To understand the foundation of UV Skinz, you must understand the legacy
from which UV Skinz was born. You must understand Darren’s story.
Darren
Lee Farwell was always up for an outdoor adventure. An avid surfer and snowboarder,
Darren couldn’t begin to count the number of serious sunburns he had
suffered as a kid. He was not aware that just one severe sunburn during a child’s
first fifteen years could double the chance of developing skin cancer as an
adult. Darren was young and full of life and never thought about skin cancer
or how deadly it could be.
The reality of skin cancer touched Darren in 1996 when he was diagnosed with
malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Darren stayed positive
and lively for his three young boys, Ethan, Seth and Caleb and never gave up
hope during his long five-year battle with the disease.
On September 14th 2001, at the far-too-young age of 32, Darren succumbed
to skin cancer. The legacy that Darren wanted to leave was to encourage people
to “stay healthy” and to “take responsibility of their bodies.” Darren’s
wife, Rhonda Sparks, her family and the couple’s friends founded the
Darren Lee Farwell Foundation on December 1st, 2001 to help fulfill Darren’s
legacy.
The
Foundation was created to raise general public awareness of the ever-growing
dangers of UV radiation from the sun; to educate children and adults as to
how to protect themselves from over-exposure by using sunscreens, hats and
UV protective clothing; and to facilitate early detection of skin disease by
teaching people to be aware of their bodies and to look for the warning signs
of skin cancer development.
In subsequent years and in tune with her “live safely under the sun” philosophy,
Rhonda would travel to Hawaii and bring home surf rashguards as sun protection
for her sons. Friends would ask where they could get more and Rhonda found
that the shirts were very difficult to find. When she could find shirts, either
the styles were undesirable and/or the sizes were very limited. Recognizing
the consumer demand married with the passion to protect children from the damaging
effects of the sun, Rhonda jumped into two years of research and development.
In the Spring of 2005, UV Skinz was born.
Skin cancer is 100% preventable if caught early! Protecting
your skin during the first 18 years of life can reduce the risk of some types
of skin cancer by up to 78%. Darren wants his children and ALL children to
be safe from the dangers of the sun. But we must take action toward eradicating
this disease. Educate yourself! Enjoy all that life has to offer under the
sun but BE SUN SAFE!
For more information on Darren’s story, please visit www.DLFFoundation.com.
UV Skinz & The Darren Lee Farwell Foundation
Promoting Skin Cancer Awareness & Life Enrichment