Save Your Skin Foundation's Kathleen Barnard Wins B.C. Community Achievement Award

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - April 26, 2016) - Premier Christy Clark and Keith Mitchell, chair of the British Columbia Achievement Foundation, today named this year's recipients of the B.C. Community Achievement Awards. The Save Your Skin Foundation is thrilled to announce that the Foundation's President and Founder, Kathleen Barnard, is one of this year's award recipients.

In 2003, Kathleen Barnard was diagnosed with malignant Melanoma, the most serious of all skin cancers. In 2005, she was told that the cancer had propagated throughout her body with significantly sized tumors already accumulated in her vital organs. Tumors were found in her left lung, kidney, liver, and adrenal gland. Having received the only available treatment option in B.C., her prognosis was not good and she was given only six months to live. Left with little hope, Barnard's family looked everywhere for help and located an oncologist researching a trial treatment. Barnard was able to receive the treatment through a clinical trial that would ultimately save her life.

2016 marks Barnard's 10-year anniversary of being cancer free. It also marks the 10-year anniversary of the Save Your Skin Foundation. In 2006, Kathleen Barnard transformed her cancer diagnosis into a call for action and she is dedicated to changing skin cancer related policy through her Save Your Skin Foundation. Her leadership in addressing and raising awareness around skin cancer issues has made British Columbia a better and more sun safe community.

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer. It is also one of the most preventable. Over 80,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in Canada each year, more than 5,000 of which are melanomas, the mostly deadly form of skin cancer.

About the Save Your Skin Foundation

The Save Your Skin Foundation was founded in 2006 and is a national not-for profit organization dedicated to the areas of skin cancer and skin disease with a focus on education and awareness, supporting research and ensuring equal and timely access to treatment for all Canadians. Please visit www.saveyourskin.ca for more information.