You may have heard that Doug Fieger, singer and songwriter for THE KNACK, died Feb. 14 at age 57 at his home in Woodland Hills, CA of lung cancer.  Even if you weren’t around in 1979 you’re probably familiar with the monster #1 ditty Fieger sang and wrote called “My Sharona.” Yeah, I don’t know what it means either, but it was a cool song.

So what does this have to do with skin cancer? Well, I recently had a bit of skin cancer removed from my lower abdomen. A little growth that has been there for FOUR YEARS! because instead of going to a dermatologist as I should have, I asked my gynecologist about it. I mean, I figured since it was C-section adjacent, he was the doc to see, right?  WRONG! My GYN said it was nothing. Well, guess what? It was something! And lucky for me, it was only a basal cell carcinoma which is a slow-growing, easy to cut off cancer that doesn’t get into your system and not a melanoma which can kill you and which recently ended the life of a good friend of my brother RICHARD. The young man was only 29.

Winona Ryder for skin cancer awareness

I know, you’re still wondering what this has to do with The Knack. Well, since Feiger died of cancer and I had Basal Cell Carcinoma which rhymes with My Sharona, well… naturally, I had to retool the lyrics to the Knack’s classic song to get across my point to…

CHECK YOUR SKIN REGULARLY FOR ANY ABNORMALITIES!

Or better yet, have a dermatologist take a look. If like me you grew up in the sun worshipping era where one used Coppertone instead of Banana Boat, it’s important that you know that sun damage is cumulative. And what you did to your skin as a kid can come back with a vengeance in adulthood.

So… to help encourage you to check your skin… and as an homage to Doug Fieger who wrote a really cool song and who passed at way too young an age… may I present…

BASAL CELL CARCINOMA

(sung to the tune of MY SHARONA)

Ooh my little ugly one, ugly one.
You creepy li’l basal cell carcinoma
Ooh you best go on the run, too much sun,
Gonna be comin’ off carcinoma
Never gonna stop, cut you off
Such unhealthy thing.. Always lop you off, sew it up
So I’m clean again. My my my i yi woo. B-B-Basal Cell Carcinoma

 
When you getting too much sun, too much sun
Just a matter of time for a carcinoma
Is it destiny, or a lack of the sunny screen
Really glad it wasn’t a melanoma
Never gonna stop, cut you off
Such unhealthy thing.. Always lop you off, sew it up
So I’m clean again. My my my i yi woo. B-B-Basal Cell Carcinoma

And if the brilliance of my Weird Al-esque turn or Winona Ryder in the near buff doesn’t send you running to the dermatologist, think of your kids. I know that will do it.

For more info on skin cancer, check out the following websites.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/skin-cancer/DS00190/DSECTION=symptoms

www.CancerResearch.org