That's Fit

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Are you aware? I am, as I look at my husband's left hand, fresh out of surgery to remove a squamous cell cancer, in all of its stitched and bandaged glory. I am aware when I look at my pale, pale skin and attempt to cover up as much as possible before heading out into the blazing Florida sun. I am aware when I lather my blond-headed little boys with sunscreen, hide in the shade at my neighborhood pool, and think back to all the skin cancer-y spots my grandma was forever having frozen off her her aging body. I've had a few frozen myself. And my sister just last year had two basal cell cancers carved right out of her chest. Her scars are constant reminders of summers spent basking on the beach.

Skin cancer should not be taken lightly, no matter how strongly you believe the disease won't happen to you. Of all the cancers out there, you might think this one is no big deal. You'd be wrong. Just ask Miss Melanoma who lost a toe because a mole on her foot turned up as melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Ask anyone battling the disease and fighting off death. There were an estimated 59,940 new melanoma cases in the U.S. in 2007 and 250,000 cases of squamous cells carcinomas, the second most common type of skin cancer. Basal cell cancer, the most common form, strikes one million people each year.

Skin cancer should alarm you. Because if left undetected, it can kill you. Awareness is key. So do you part this month. And every month. Inform yourself. Your family. Your friends. All the information you need -- how to prevent it, how to detect it, how to treat it -- can be found right here at The Skin Cancer Foundation.

FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

There's something about taking action that feeds the soul. Maybe your action is delivering a meal to a friend with a new baby. Maybe it's cleaning up the shores at the beach one weekend, pitching in and helping a neighbor move into a new house, or driving a special someone to an important medical appointment. Reaching out makes a difference -- it's often all our spirits need in the lift department.

I've got an spirit-lifting assignment for you today, one that might just save a few lives.

This task comes from a spunky cancer survivor who calls herself Miss Melanoma. Her goal -- which she hopes becomes your goal -- is to get a surgeon general's warning in every window at tanning bed salons. Here's all you need to do: Visit Miss Melanoma's website at MissMelanoma.com, click on Sign our Petition, and read all about the importance of skin cancer awareness -- did you know melanoma is an epidemic and the rate of occurrence is rising faster than any other cancer? Once you've absorbed the humbling facts that surround melanoma, kindly move on and sign your name. It's that simple, yet so critical.

Once you're done making your difference for the day, I recommend you take a spin through Miss Melanoma's website, which includes an inspirational blog, artwork, articles, and a shop too. You're sure to be amazed by the grace, determination, and humor of this young woman who lost her little toe to cancer and finds herself wondering: Am I entitled to a 10 percent discount on pedicures?