His name is not really Brian -- that's just the character actor Barry Watson plays on the ABC TV show What About Brian that just ended its season on March 26.

I really like this show. The network calls it a contemporary, heartwarming ensemble drama that continues to tell the stories of a group of close-knit friends in various stages of romantic relationships and friendships living in Los Angeles.

This is exactly why I like it. But there's an underlying story not written into the script that has compelled me to watch -- and truly enjoy -- this show.

Barry Watson, best known for his role as Matt Camden on the long-running WB series 7th Heaven, is surviving cancer. Diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in May 2002, he received treatment and reported in April 2003 that he was in remission. And he's been working hard ever since.

Watson is not only an actor. He is a husband -- his wife is Tracy Hutson of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition -- and he is a father. But most important in my book, Watson is a cancer survivor. And more than anything, this is what inspires me every time I watch What About Brian.

Recent news reports reveal Britney Spears recently checked in and then checked right out of Eric Clapton's Crossroads Centre rehab facility in Antigua. And now that Spears has returned to Los Angeles, something else is being revealed -- her bald head.

Apparently Spears chose to shave her head and add a few new tattoos to her body in honor of her speedy return back home. Why, I am not sure. But the image of her shiny scalp brings back bitter memories of my own bald head that had nothing to do with free will and choice and had everything to do with cancer.

I hated my bald head, took great pains to cover it at all times, and found nothing beautiful about the prominent display of flesh that surrounded my face. I can see beauty in other bald heads -- and I think Britney looks just fine with her new look -- but I was blind to it when looking at myself in the mirror. I hated my bald head.

"What are you going to do with your hair?" one of my co-workers asked me the other day.

"I'm letting it grow," I told her. "And grow and grow and grow," I thought to myself.

This co-worker seemed sad I was growing my hair. She said she really liked it short, with its tight curls and flat-to-my-head style. Many people have told me this same thing, that I look good with short hair. And maybe I do. Maybe I look good bald too. But I never wished for short hair. I never wished for no hair. And so I am getting back at cancer by letting my hair grow and grow and grow. It's my revenge of sorts.

Bald is just not for me. So I'm relinquishing all rights I have to this extreme hair fashion to those who choose it. To those who wear it well. To Britney.

Some women opt to remove their ovaries to prevent breast cancer recurrence. I considered it -- and then decided I would not take such an extreme measure when I wasn't all that sure I was done having children.

Now, ovary removal may not be necessary -- because a new chemical equivalent of surgery allows women to temporarily shut down their ovaries while preserving their fertility.

The shutdown of the ovaries is called chemopause, and women who choose to go this route receive monthly injections -- considered a super-hormone treatment -- of a drug that blocks the male hormone testosterone and is often used to treat prostate cancer.

Chemopause has big advantages. It doesn't require surgery. And it's not permanent. Women who want to have children can stop the treatment in order to conceive. And women who have trouble with side effects can discontinue use of the surgery-sparing drugs.

The ovary-suppressing drugs -- triptorelin, goserelin, leuprolide, and buserelin -- can be used in place of or on top of standard chemotherapy and hormone therapy and are showing promise in their ability to decrease incidences of breast cancer recurrence.

Medical professionals agree there is value in ovarian suppression. Studies show women whose periods do not return after chemotherapy -- which often causes early menopause -- have lower relapse rates than women whose periods resume. So shutting down the ovaries and stopping menstruation may not be such a bad idea -- and not such an extreme measure either.

I've had my very own extreme makeover. And while it has nothing to do with cosmetic plastic surgery or an overhaul on my house, it's been an appearance-altering and life-changing event. I'll call it my Extreme Makeover: Cancer Edition.

Stop One

The first stop on my extreme makeover tour came compliments of a lumpectomy -- to remove one cancerous tumor in my breast along with four lymph nodes. I was left with two scars that travel underneath my armpit, a bit of scar tissue buried beneath the skin, and a tinge of numbness that comes and goes without warning.

Stop Two

My second stop brought me a port -- to save my veins and ease the infusion of chemotherapy -- which for more than a year allowed me to look a bit like an alien. A foreign object sewn under the skin of my collarbone popped up something like a tracking device that identified my whereabouts. Now surgically removed, my port has been discarded. A scar marks the one-time location of this wondrous apparatus.

Stop Three

The third facet of my makeover was quite extreme -- is still quite extreme. It happened like clockwork -- 13 days after my very first chemotherapy treatment -- and while I knew it would happen, the shock of total hair loss was not minimized in any way, shape, or form by predictability. And the shock of my new dark, curly hair with a sprinkling of gray -- that replaced my blond, straight hair -- amazes me every time I look in the mirror.

Stop Four

For four months, I lost my menstrual cycle to chemotherapy -- not such a bad deal except for the hot flashes that arrived for the same four-month period. When my cycles returned, they were unpredictable and much more intense than ever before. They are still problematic.

Stop Five

Surgery and radiation limited the range of motion in my left arm. Physical therapy helped some, and weight training helps too. But my arm is permanently affected by the attempts to save my life.

Stop Six

Just when I thought my makeover journey was coming to an end, my mind told me otherwise. Bouts of fogginess, forgetfulness, and just plain odd behavior marked the beginning of what researchers now call chemo brain. The plentiful drugs that cycled through my body for almost two years are playing tricks on my brain.

Stop Seven

And to cope with it all -- my scars, my hair, my confusing cycles, my tightened arm, and my chemo brain -- I made one last stop at the pharmacy for an anti-depressant. Prescribed so that I could become accustomed to my new life after cancer, my Zoloft keeps me calm and peaceful and happy. And one day, when I have adjusted to all that has changed in my world, I will wean myself off this potion.

I am not sure I would ever elect to alter my appearance -- although I am sometimes tempted by a tummy tuck to remove what two more-than-10-pound babies left with me.

Mostly, I think cancer has done enough to reshape and redesign my whole self. And while I didn't wish for any of my cancer changes, I think they help me define me. They tell a story -- of challenge and hardship and victory and survival. For as long as I am alive, for as long as my extreme makeover is visible, it will be clear that I have conquered something great and powerful. And that makes me proud.

Tonight at 8:00 PM on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, television viewers get to witness the week-long renovation of a 135-year-old farmhouse belonging to 26-year-old Shawna Farina and her three children.

It's not just the powerful makeover of this drafty Indiana house that makes for a touching story. It's the fact that Farina has been surviving breast cancer for the past 18 months, raising three children, working, raising money, and organizing her local American Cancer Society Relay For Life walks -- while living in an old, drafty farmhouse -- that makes this story truly inspirational.

Inspired by her mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was a child, Farina became involved with Relay For Life -- a yearly, overnight event held in more than 4,700 communities to celebrate cancer survivorship. And now, in tandem with Farina's extreme makeover, volunteers from 18 different Relay for Life events across southern Indiana have been honoring Farina through Extreme Relay For Life events consisting of five back-to-back 24-hour relays. More than 5,000 people and the cast of crew of the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition participated while construction took place on Farina's house.

It all unfolds this evening -- the story of one courageous young woman raising awareness about breast cancer in the midst of her own battle. And the story of one dedicated bunch of supporters who are building her spirit -- and rebuilding her home.

The bikini turns 60 this month and makes news not just for its birthday but also for its new feature -- a built-in alarm to warn wearers to get out of the sun. Not all bikinis will talk -- but those made by Canadian company Solestrom will. Solestrom has created a new bikini that goes on sale next month with a UV meter built into its belt and an alarm that sounds when it's time to seek shade. The meter on the $190 bikini displays a level of UV intensity on a scale from 0 to 20. Three to five is moderate strength, eight to 10 is very high, and anything above 11 is extreme. A person's sensitivity to UV depends mainly on skin type so this scale operates in general terms.

Despite increasing awareness of the sun's dangers, sales remain strong for the bikini. So Solestrom developed this suit to ease some of the worries about the sun's damaging rays. They have already been met with high demand from Australia and South Africa -- where skin cancer rates are highest. The United States -- now in the loop too -- has about 1 million new skin cancer cases each year.

Traditionally, the medical community has focused its resources on cancer treatment in saving lives. Rather recently, there is a growing trend and interest in cancer prevention. As a result, there is more awareness and conversation about the causes of cancer, and the ways to prevent cancer. Although less than ten percent of the population links cancer risks to obesity, one of the leading lifestyle factors that is known to raise the risk for cancer is obesity. The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University conducted an online survey that revealed rather startling results. When it comes to obesity, half of the people who responded to the survey said they would give up a year of life rather than be obese. In addition, they indicated they would walk away from their marriage, give up the possibility of having children, be depressed or become alcoholic rather than be obese.

It gets more extreme. Five percent said they'd rather lose a limb than get fat, while four percent said they'd rather be blind than be overweight. Of those who responded, three percent were underweight, 41 percent were normal weight, 21 percent were overweight, 21 percent were obese and 14 percent were very obese. There is something desperately sad about the truth of how we feel about being fat. Being overweight is not good. Maintaining a healthy weight is good. However, it seems being fat is dangerously weighted in more than our concern for health. The psychological pain appears profound for many even considering the possibility of being overweight and illustrates the lengths people would be willing to go to be thin. Alcoholism? Loss of limb? Blindness?

On day three of the race now, friends Mike Dann, Simon Edmundson and Tim Tottenham, known as the ATP team, are into the 350 mile trek across the frozen Artic to the Magnetic North Pole as one of 15 teams taking part in the Sony Polar Challenge North Pole race. Temperatures can get to a frigid -50C. To add to the danger and drama, 80 percent of the world's Polar Bear population live there. Considered one of the world's toughest endurance tests, the teams are expected to reach the destination on April 27. Having just crossed Polar Bear Pass, ATP is one of five leading teams. If you are into extreme sports, and unique adventures, the Polar Challenge teams are keeping daily diaries online, as well as an overall summary of the day's events during the race. They provide an excellent photo gallery, live video and a map. The images are spectacular. The ATP team is raising funds for the Laura Crane Trust.

The Laura Crane Trust was founded in memory of Laura Crane, who died just two weeks after her seventeenth birthday from a complex mix of four types of cancer. The foundation serves teens and young adults living with cancer.

Over time, obesity is one of the known lifestyle risks associated with cancer. Keeping at a healthy weight and eating nutrient-rich foods is recommended to maximizing cancer prevention. Many people are interested in losing weight, as witnessed by the flourishing weight loss industry. Advertisements for weight loss programs are in the media daily. There are those who do not care or try to maintain a healthy weight and there are those on the other end of the spectrum of weight consciousness who follow an extreme in maintaining a weight they believe leads to longevity. Calorie Restriction practitioners, CRonies, are a group of people trying to live longer by eating far fewer calories than the average person and suggest there is a growing body of evidence that seriously restricting calories can guard against many diseases, like cancer, and delay old age.

It's not about anorexia, although CRonies admit there is a danger to this style of eating that might attract or lend legitimacy to anorexics. But as the group explains, anorexics never arrive at that mental place where they believe they are thin enough. The motivation for the CRonies calorie restriction diet is longevity and health and to prevent disease. There are positives and negatives to this program, and not to be undertaken lightly. For additional information, visit The Calorie Restriction Society.