Florida safety Reggie Nelson said recently he would give up football if he could ensure his mother would survive the breast cancer she had been battling since October 2003. Sadly, such a trade was not possible.

Mary Lakes died Thursday night, just after her son arrived at her Melbourne home following the second-ranked Gators' final pre-Christmas practice in Gainesville.

Lakes, whose illness prevented her from regularly witnessing the wonder of her All-American son -- a possible first-round draft pick -- was able to see Nelson play in September. And while she rarely got to sit in the stands, Lakes and Nelson had a very close relationship.

"Reggie had a special relationship with his mother," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "She was a tremendous person and an inspiration for Reggie and many others. Our entire football program is deeply saddened and in mourning. We will remain by Reggie's side and provide emotional and spiritual support for him during this difficult time."

Nelson will soon head to Arizona where he and his Florida Gator teammates will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes for the 2007 National Championship title.

With over 30 celebrities including actor Cheech Marin, NFL MVP John Elway, World Series of Poker Champion Mel Judah, Hall of Fame Philly Mike Schmidt, Cock Blocker Clothing creator Mark James is raising money for the Philadelphia Breast Cancer 3Day Breast Cancer Foundation fundraiser by holding an eBay auction of celebrity-autographed Cock Blocker Clothing items. The auction is live now and will run through October 1, 2006 8PM (PST).

Supporting breast cancer research is personal for James of Cock Blocker Clothing, whose mother survives her own diagnosis of breast cancer. He wants to help other women who are going through the same struggles as his mother in contributing to something that can make a positive difference.

In addition to the celebrity-autographed Cock Blocker Clothing online eBay auction, James will be participating in Philadelphia's Breast Cancer 3Day fundraiser, where participants will walk 60 miles in three days, with each participant raising at least $10,000 dollars for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

To help with the cause, you can bid on celebrity-autographed Cock Blocker Clothing during the eBay auction, or donate directly to the 3Day event. The Philadelphia Breast Cancer 3Day Walk will take place on October 4 through the 6th.

"Please remember, all of us have the power to change lives and contribute to society," states James. Visit to learn more about the Cock Blocker Clothing fight against breast cancer.

Out of Las Vegas, urban fashion designer and Cock Blocker Clothing founder Mark James has started a company with major attitude. As the company states on its website, it offers an artistic sense of humor to an otherwise vicious and often times malicious environment of everyday life issues of politics, art, sex, relationships, love, race, religion, business, and war.

Cock Blocker Clothing is popular with celebrities, who have autographed many Cock Blocker Clothing apparel items for an auction to benefit the 3-Day walk for breast cancer charity.

Supporting breast cancer research is personal for James, whose mother is currently battling her own diagnosis of breast cancer. He wants to help other women who are going through the same struggles as his mother in contributing to something that can make a positive difference.

Cock Blocker Clothing might not be for everyone. If you enjoy a wicked sense of humor and off-the-grid attitude, then you might appreciate the business passion of a man who once worked -- or as he says slaved -- for seven years in the corporate world of entertainment in Los Angeles for Warner Bros. & Fox Studios and then escaped.

If you would like to be a sponsor, make donations or take part in auction bidding, check in at the Cock Blocker Clothing website where auction, fundraiser time, date, and venue information will be posted June 25. You can view photos of the autographed-by-celebrities Cock Blocker Clothing items at that time.

It's the global power of the internet and the phenomenon of social news -- of friends telling friends, and communities of friends telling other communities of friends -- by emailing a link to an interesting news story, that created a news story all its own. According to KOMO 4 News in Seattle, on May 7, a television news story they aired featuring a report on inflammatory breast cancer, IBC, a fairly rare type of breast cancer, has received over 10 million hits in the weeks since they put the six-minute video of the news segment on their website. IBC support groups have been receiving many more calls than usual from people wanting more information since the news video was made available online. To read reporter Michelle Esteban's Silent Killer news feature and watch the video, go here.

Celebrities can bring awareness to cancer causes. Celebrities can attract money to cancer fundraisers. Celebrities influence our society in fashion and lifestyle trends. Whether you are one who thinks celebrities have too much influence, and wondering why there seems a global obsession with celebrity -- or you are someone who applauds the efforts of those who have risen to success in fame and fortune and take time to give back, there is no doubting celebrities have power. And even when celebrities aren't trying to make a difference, they do, by the simple fact they are a celebrity.

A news story out of Canada is reporting that young girls, inspired by fair-skinned celebrities like Australian actress Nicole Kidman, are rejecting the fashion standard that a tan makes you attractive and embracing what they are calling the pale and proud of it attitude. When it comes to reducing the rising incidence of skin cancer, this couldn't come as better news. Really good news since it is in the young where a shocking number of new skin cancer cases are being diagnosed, a trend that is fairly recent to our times.

Ideally, the Dervaes would reside on a couple of country acres in order to live the organic, self-sufficient eco-friendly and health conscious lifestyle they live. Instead, finding themselves in the middle of an urban landscape, on a simple city block in Pasadena, California, the five member family has transformed the 1/5 acre and city home into a sustainable urban homestead that provides them with enough organic and cancer prevention food that they have turned the excess crops into a lucrative home business.

The family is vegetarian, and the yard blooms with over 350 varieties of edible and useful plants. The 1/10 acre organic garden now grows over 6,000 pounds of organic produce each year. The money from the cottage-industry produce business helps fund purchases of solar panels, energy efficient appliances, and a biodiesel processor. The family makes their own vegetable oil-based bio-diesel fuel to run the family car. They have chickens and ducks, and compost with worms.

The Dervaes family is generous in the time they spend showing others what they are doing, from allowing local school children come take a tour to giving how-to workshops to keeping a blog. For the last three years, I have followed their daily lifestyle with fascination, reading the daily journal they keep. So much in the way they live is a cancer prevention lifestyle. They protect their health, they protect the health of others, and they protect the health of the planet -- in the way they choose to live. All while living in the middle of a city on a small city lot. I think you will enjoy the visit to the Path to Freedom journal.