I'm not a big sports fan. But everyone in my family is, and I live in Gainesville, Florida -- home of the Florida Gators -- so by default, I've come to know a bit about sports. And I tend to get caught up in the orange and blue spirit that lives in this town. It's contagious.

I am thrilled that the Gator football team beat Ohio State Monday night, earning the 2007 National Championship title. But I am even more thrilled that one player -- safety Reggie Nelson -- gets to claim this victory, for himself and for his mother, who passed away on December 21 after a three-year battle with breast cancer.

It must have been a bittersweet win for Nelson, who talked with his mom on the phone prior to each of his games. She was his biggest fan and one of his toughest coaches. She cheered him on and offered critiques all the same.

But there was no phone call Monday night -- before Nelson's biggest game ever. But his mom was surely present to witness the wonder and glory of her son. And Nelson surely made every move on that field in honor of her.

"My mom's my life and my best friend," he said prior to her death. "Everything I do is because of her. She's always in my mind."

Nelson did not speak to the media between the time of his mother's death and his match-up with Ohio State. According to the BCS contract, all players must be made available to the media during media day. But the University of Florida struck an agreement with the BCS to waive the clause for Nelson so he could begin to heal from his loss, without the stress of the Arizona media frenzy.

It's been a difficult time for Nelson who is now speaking out about his mom.

"A person never gets over losing his mother," Nelson said on the field Monday night, as confetti fluttered on the national champs. "I'm a Momma's boy at heart. All I wanted was to make her proud."

Previous posts about Reggie Nelson and his mom are as follows:
Florida Gator Reggie Nelson loses mom to breast cancer
Florida Gator would trade football for family

Try Not To Remember for the movie Home of the Brave, the process of songwriting and how cancer changes your priorities, were the main topics of discussion during a recent interview with Sheryl Crow. When asked what inspired her to write the song Try Not To Remember for Home of the Brave, Crow explained that it came in part from her own experience with breast cancer.

"I think the pivotal experience -- when you realize your life is never gonna be the same, and you are going to have to integrate back into your life I saw the movie and I think the thing that really struck me is that everybody gets dealt these pivotal moments in their lives, whether it is a war or breast cancer or losing your home in Katrina, or whatever. It is how you integrate. It determines what you do with the rest of your life."

Crow calls this year her year of transformation. Because of her breast cancer diagnosis, she feels she met herself in a way she had not done before, and as a result, she spent time redefining who she was and how she would live her life. She has learned to say no, rather than being a people pleaser. "I changed the way I look at my life, my body, my health, my family, my friends, and the way I treat myself." Crow learned to make herself a priority in her own life.

Visit Sheryl Crow On Overcoming Cancer, and The Soundtrack for Home of the Brave by Christina Radish to read much more about what Crow shared during the interview published in Media Blvd. Magazine.

From the moment of Sheryl Crow's breast cancer diagnosis, we have been sharing the introspection and insight of a creative and spiritual woman whose vulnerably honest perspectives as a cancer survivor continue to inspire. Here are some of the previous posts we have published:

• Sheryl Crow has breast cancer surgery
• Sheryl Crow: talks about how cancer changed her
• Sheryl Crow: ABC Good Morning America exclusive interview
• Sheryl Crow: We are fragile but we also are divine
• Sheryl Crow adopts Eskimo diet to fight breast cancer
• Sheryl Crow in the blue tattoo sisterhood
• Sheryl Crow: women need to be demanding of doctors
• Sheryl Crow: breast cancer survivor's spiritual reminder
• Sheryl Crow: "I wasn't known for my breasts until I got breast cancer."

I am an expert in the game of what-if. I guess it's because my recent what if this hard lump in my breast is cancer worry turned into Oh My God, it is cancer that I am so polished at this exercise in all things irrational. Sure, some worries will be fulfilled by reality but for the most part, things turn out okay. But still, I worry. When a bone hurt in my arm last year, I was sure it was bone cancer. It wasn't. When I felt a soft bump on the roof of my mouth, I whisked myself to the dentist for my mouth cancer diagnosis. It was just a little bit of inflammation, probably from a cold. A headache landed me in a tube for a scan of my head. It revealed nothing interesting, and ibuprofen fixed me right up. And lately, I am checking every mole, freckle, spot, speck, and discoloration that adorns my fair skin.

I asked about each of these what-if marks yesterday at my annual skin cancer screening. Surprise -- nothing is wrong with me. But all unfounded fears aside, there is some method to my madness about skin cancer because I have had several bad burns in my life, have spent too many hours in the sun in search of a tan, and have already had a few pre-cancerous spots removed from my skin. So I do plan to monitor my skin -- just maybe not every day -- for the ABCDs of melanoma. And you should too -- because melanoma is the deadliest of skin cancers, and it is known for spreading, which makes treatment essential. So consider these what-ifs when screening yourself for skin cancer.

What if a spot on my skin is Asymmetrical? This means that one half of the mark on your skin does not match the other half. See your dermatologist.

What if the Border of the spot is irregular? This means that the edges are ragged, notched, or blurred. See your dermatologist.

What if the Color of the spot is not uniform? This means that shades of tan, brown, and black are present. Dashes of red, white, and blue add to the mottled appearance. See your dermatologist.

What if the Diameter is more than 6 millimeters? This is about the size of a pencil eraser. Any growth of any mole should also be of concern. See your dermatologist.

It is estimated that 44,000 Americans will develop melanoma annually. Of these people, 7,300 will die. But the death rate is declining -- because patients are seeking help earlier. Perhaps the ABCDs of melanoma are helping. I hope they help you -- and me too.

Women undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer are marked with blue tattoos on their chest to show technicians where the radiation beam needs to be pointed. The blue tattoos are permanent, although after treatment a woman can have them removed.

Sheryl Crow, diagnosed with breast cancer last spring, who went through radiation treatment and has the blue tattoo, said, "I've kept my tattoo because it is a reminder for me. It's a reminder of that time. It's a reminder of how I want to look at my life. I want to remember. I don't want it to fade on me so fast."

Christy Schwan, who was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago and received the blue tattooing while undergoing radiation treatment, wrote a book called The Blue Tattoo Club. According to Schwan, in the spirit of sisterhood of breast cancer survivors, all women with the blue tattoos are members of the club. With her book, she wants to reach out and make sure no woman ever feels alone in her breast cancer journey.

Each cancer survivor is different. Some embrace cancer survivorship as a way to make the lives of others facing similar challenges and the world in general a better place. They reach out to comfort and to offer hope. Others simply want to forget as fast as possible the cancer experience. There is no one right way to be a cancer survivor, but I admire people like Crow and Schwan who do not walk away, who stick around, who fight as fierce warriors and gentle healers in this battle against cancer. It is, as Lance Armstrong said, the obligation of the cured for cancer survivors until a cure is found for all.

"It's said that chemotherapy is like skiing in front of an avalanche. You do one thing wrong, and the avalanche is going to get you." -- Harvey Rushfeldt

Using the principles he learned in Alcoholics Anonymous, AA, helped Harvey Rushfeldt, 72, diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma last October, create a strategy for successfully living through the often grueling ordeal of chemotherapy. Rushfeldt sees both cancer and alcoholism as mortal threats and he approached his cancer treatments with the same 12 step attitude and perspectives alcoholics adopt on the one-day-at-a-time road to recovery.

Before my radiation for breast cancer, I heard horror stories about the treatment. I heard that I might be extremely tired and severely burned and that I might feel generally unwell for the time it would take to completely zap any and all traces of cancer surrounding my breast. But my own radiation wasn't all that bad -- and really, the worst part of the whole therapy for me was the drive to and from the cancer center every day for seven weeks. It was a hassle, a nuisance, a bother. There were other small annoyances throughout the course of my radiation, but they were minimal -- thanks to some secrets that were shared with me along the scorching path of radiation and beyond. And here are seven of them.

One lucky couple was chosen -- from a pool of more than 450 couples who competed in ESPN's Marriage Madness competition -- as winner of the ultimate ESPN sports wedding. With listeners of the Mike & Mike in the Morning national TV and radio show as voters, Catherine and Jason West, now husband and wife, were married May 26, 2006 on ESPN. Noteworthy is the fact that both Catherine and Jason are die-hard University of Florida Gator fans -- they met at a Gator tailgating party and were engaged at Lake Alice, a popular outdoor spot on campus. The bride wore crystal Gator beadwork on her gown and the groom's tuxedo jacket was lined in Gator orange. The maid of honor wore a Gator blue dress and carried an orange bouquet. The wedding vows included the traditional messages of love, honor, and respect -- but some sports twists were sprinkled in too. The Wests took away a check for $20,000, compliments of hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, and they will soon head off on an all-expense paid sports-inspired honeymoon.

This wedding is inspired not just by sports.  It is also inspired by cancer survival. Catherine -- who became engaged on the one-year anniversary of her first breast cancer surgery -- is now in full cancer remission. And a $2,500 donation was made in the couple's name to the V Foundation, a cancer fund in memory of Jim Valvano, a former North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN broadcaster. This is surely an event to remember.

It's a local story not likely to get worldwide coverage. If you don't live in the Cheshire Oaks area where the Blue Planet Aquarium is located, you will not be able to participate or watch others do it. But the Rosemere Cancer Foundation is hosting a shark dive to raise money for services provided to cancer patients at the Royal Preston Hospital -- and frankly I am impressed at the ingenuity in the ways people find to raise money for cancer charity.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go eyeball to eyeball with a 10 foot sand tiger shark, but it's his 250 teeth you want to keep an eye on," states Ron McAndrew, events coordinator for the Rosemere Cancer Foundation. Make a donation and you can swim with a shark. Oh mama! I'd give money not to end up swimming with the sharks. But if you lived in the area, and interested in helping donate to a good cause, would you dive at the chance to swim with a shark? Are you thinking about it? You have to admit, of all the cancer fundraisers we have talked about, this is one of the more fascinating ones.

John Watson -- over at our sister blog Blogging Baby -- points to the Children's Cancer Research Fund online butterfly game that illustrates how it feels when you can cure cancer in eight out of ten children -- but not for the other two children. It is a dramatic and immediate experience, as frustration builds while you play the game. The first eight butterflies are not easy to catch -- but you can catch them. The last two butterflies remain elusive, just out of reach of the net. At the end of the game, the Children's Cancer Research Fund makes a request for a donation to help with cancer research for the two out of ten children currently lost to cancer. Those who wish to donate $75 dollars will receive a free copy of The Blue Butterfly movie.

Based on a true story, The Blue Butterfly movie is about Pete Carlton, 10, who is terminally ill with brain cancer. Pete's last wish is to catch the mythic and elusive Blue Morpho, considered the most beautiful butterfly on earth. Knowing her son only has a few months left to live, Teresa is determined to make her son's last wish a reality. She convinces Alan Osborne, a renowned entomologist who prefers insects to people, to take the wheelchair bound boy to South America, into the Costa Rican rain forest, as this is the only place where the butterfly can be found. Osborne carries Pete on his back through the jungles in search of the Blue Morpho. The ending of this very true story is nothing short of magical and miraculous. It is the symbol of hope for the two children out of ten children who do not survive cancer -- yet.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002, Christy Schwan, a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, friend, and a sister in spirit in the sisterhood of breast cancer survivors said, "My family and friends are the center of my life and they all agree that someday my tombstone will be engraved -- don't have too much fun without me!" Schwan invites you to join her in The Blue Tattoo Club. According to Schwan, she hopes, like wildflower seeds blowing in the wind, her book will pass from woman to woman so that no woman will ever feel alone in her journey.

The Blue Tattoo Club is a book she wished she had found when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. The blue tattoo is the permanent mark made on a woman's chest when she is going through radiation cancer treatments. These marks are where they will direct the radiation. If you have these marks, you are part of The Blue Tattoo Club. The Blue Tattoo Club book is a collection of personal stories from breast cancer survivors as they made their journey through breast cancer diagnosis, treatments and beyond.