When Sally Clayton (left) started to suffer from memory loss, her daughter, Lee Clayton Roper (right), decided they should collaborate on a cookbook.

We know there’s a special mother-daughter bond when one generation passes along kitchen wisdom and beloved family recipes to the next. When Lee Clayton Roper’s mother, Sally Clayton, started to suffer from osteoporosis and memory loss, the two embarked on a project to collect and publish their favorites in A Well-Seasoned Kitchen (MLC Publishing, 2009). Originally available only in the Claytons’ home state of Colorado, the book recently has become available in local bookstores stores across the country, and is also available through online retailers. A portion of all sales benefits the Alzheimer’s Association Colorado Chapter.

Within the collection of recipes, some of which are accompanied by favorite memories, readers get a glimpse into the personality of Sally, who saw the final phase of the book, but died shortly before it was published.

“In developing this cookbook, Mom and I concentrated on the type of dishes we like best — simple and delicious recipes for every day and easy entertaining,” says Roper in the book’s introduction. She describes her mother as a gracious hostess, always ready to welcome an impromptu guest at the table, not fazed when she had to quickly and discreetly turn corn on the cob and spare ribs into corn pudding and pork sandwiches for a last-minute guest with dental issues, or the time her son’s golden retriever joined the dinner party buffet line with his dish in his mouth.

The book starts with an array of appetizers such as Benedictine cheese canapés, smoked salmon on mini Cheddar-dill scones and pesto cheese wafers, and even a few recipes for cocktail hour, including “Genuine Derby Day Mint Juleps,” a nod to Sally’s Louisville, KY, origins. Chapters are devoted to soups, salads, sides and desserts, as well as main courses: poultry, meats, seafood, pasta and vegetarian dishes. Among those that caught our eye: lemon mustard grilled chicken with caramelized red onions, scallops with shallot butter and pine nuts, pesto chicken and eggplant fettuccine, pork and eggplant stir-fry, and roasted eggplant, zucchini and red pepper.

A chapter on brunch — an inexpensive and easy way to entertain, noted in the introduction — includes recipes for blueberry lemon muffins, deviled eggs in madras sauce and mixed berry smoothies. Clayton Roper notes that the photos in the book, shot by Laurie Smith, were taken in natural light without any doctoring. “When you make these recipes at home, you should feel confident that you’ll have stunning results,” she says.

The following recipe for cannellini bean dip can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator — just don’t add the truffle oil until it’s ready to serve. We’re also on an olive-oil label-reading kick after reading Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil (W.W. Norton & Co., 2011).

Cannellini Bean Dip With Truffle Oil
Makes 8 servings
2 15-ounce cans cannellini (or Great Northern) beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup lemon-flavored olive oil
1½–2 teaspoons minced garlic
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup Italian parsley leaves, stems removed
2 tablespoons white truffle oil

Blend drained and rinsed beans, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and parsley in a food processor until well blended but still slightly chunky. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, swirl in truffle oil, without completely mixing it in. Delicious served with pita chips.

NUTRITION SCORE (per serving)
59 calories
Fat 22 g
 (3 g saturated)
Carbs 13 g
Protein 3 g
Fiber 3.4 g
Calcium 33 mg
Iron 1.6 mg
Sodium 73 mg

We think this book a touching tribute from a daughter to her mother. We’re glad our own mother and grandmother gathered our family’s favorite recipes and compiled them into a binder for us as a surprise gift years ago. Do you have a compilation of favorite family recipes?

Photo credit: Courtesy Lee Clayton Roper

Jewel hosts the new season of' "The Incurables," a Veria Living show about people who overcame diagnoses of chronic ailments with alternative treatments.

We’re always fascinated by real-life medical mysteries and stories of survivors who beat the odds. So we’re not surprised that singer-songwriter Jewel wanted to host The Incurables, Veria Living’s TV series that delves into the real-life journeys of patients dealing with chronic — and often life-threatening — illnesses, especially since she has dealt with a few health problems of her own.

“Since I was about 16, I’ve had kidney problems and began researching and getting hold of experts in the field, and was lucky enough to come across some really great doctors in my life,” Jewel says. “When this show came along, I was really excited to be a part of helping and sharing information that I think will be helpful for people. It’s something I’m really passionate about.”

The show tells the stories of people who were told there was no cure for their illness, and how these patients, determined to find solutions, turned to alternative methods. Jewel recalls that a doctor she visited for a hair-loss problem told her to change shampoos. “It ended up being a thyroid issue,” says Jewel, emphasizing the importance of being a tenacious self-advocate. “If you think something is wrong with you, keep digging and finding solutions even if somebody tells you nothing is wrong, even if your blood work comes back normal. You’ve got to be dogged about it. I think The Incurables shows that,” she says of the series, which has its third season premiere tonight at 9 p.m. ET.

Jewel was able to tape her segments for the series at her Texas home, where she’s been sticking close since the birth of her son, Kase, last July. She recorded her children’s album, The Merry Goes ’Round, in her studio there, and wrote a children’s book that she expects to be out this later year.

She also devotes time to the charity she founded, Project Clean Water, which was inspired by her kidney illness; as a homeless teenager, she couldn’t buy the bottled water necessary for her condition. The nonprofit aims to bring safe water to those in need nationally and internationally.

Having enjoyed mentoring songwriters on Bravo’s Platinum Hit last year, she eagerly signed on to play a similar role on NBC’s The Voice this season, guiding Christina Aguilera’s contestants — especially since she was able to tape all her parts in a single day. “I got to do something I love, without being away from the baby — the best of both worlds!” she says.

While life off the road is new for the singer, she’s enjoyed being in mommy mode and tells husband Ty Murray that their son is “the best present that will take the rest of our lives to unwrap.” At 37, she’s not sure if she’ll have another child. “If it happens, it happens, we won’t go to any great lengths to make it happen,” she says. But she’s less laid back about making her marriage work. “I sort of tackle it like an art project, something you have to put creativity into every day for it to live and thrive and do well,” she confides. “It’s a living thing. You can’t just put it on autopilot and expect it to do well.”

We’re looking forward to the inspiring stories in the 13 new episodes of The Incurables. Do you have your own story of patient advocacy to share?

Photo credit: Courtesy Veria Living

Anna Deavere Smith's one-woman show about health and human resilience airs on PBS.

We’re familiar with Anna Deavere Smith from her work on The West Wing and as hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus in Showtime’s Nurse Jackie, and were aware of her accomplishments as a playwright (Fires in the Mirror and Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992). So we were excited to hear that she’s bringing her acclaimed one-woman play Let Me Down Easy — an exploration of the modern healthcare system and the way we deal with illness — to Great Performances on PBS Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. ET.

Smith plays 19 characters based on conversations with real people about their experiences with the healthcare system, including patients, caregivers, and a few celebrities, among them cyclist Lance Armstrong, Texas governor Ann Richards, supermodel Lauren Hutton and the late journalist Joel Siegel. It’s the end result of 320 interviews on three continents, numerous revisions and workshops and four productions, including six months at New York’s Public Theater and nine months on the road. The project began in the late ’90s, when Smith was a visiting professor at the Yale School of Medicine, “long before healthcare became part of the so-called national conversation,” she says.

Smith was commissioned “to make a piece about doctors and patients and perform it at medical grand rounds,” where actors or patients present medical issues to an audience of students, residents and doctors as a teaching tool. As she performed at Yale and other medical schools, the piece evolved as she met and interviewed people like a young New Orleans doctor relating her desperate experiences during Hurricane Katrina and a woman who runs a South African orphanage for AIDS babies. All the stories she describes as having a common thread of “compassion, kindness and grace.”

In contrast to the all-consuming focus and energy that creating, writing and performing a play like Let Me Down Easy requires, Smith often doesn’t know what’s going to happen on Nurse Jackie “until the table read,” or know her shooting schedule till the night before, and she’s fine with that. “I can go to work in my pajamas,” she explains, noting that the series’ fourth season will premiere this spring.

Down the line, she says she’d love to write the book for a musical or an opera libretto, and find more time for activities like working out, meditation, and enjoying the ocean. “I like water,” she says. “That’s my way of getting away.”

Will you tune in to PBS to watch?

Photo credit: Mary Ellen Mark

While yoga can cause injury, a recent book excerpt in "The New York Times Magazine" has received a lot of attention for its assertion that "yoga can wreck your body."

The yoga community has been abuzz since an article called “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body” was published Jan. 5 in The New York Times Magazine. The excerpt is from an upcoming book called The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards (Simon & Schuster, 2012), by William J. Broad. The section that ran in the Times looked at the risk and severity of yoga injuries. What stuck with us were the gruesome anecdotes: yoga-induced popped ribs, hip replacements, nerve damage and strokes.

Broad, a yoga student himself, related how, after rupturing a disc in his back several years ago, he turned to yoga for therapy. But his faith in yoga’s healing powers was shaken after his back gave out during a pose. Broad cites medical journals and speaks to several yoga instructors about injuries, including yoga instructor Glenn Black, who links injuries to insufficient teacher training and the recent phenomenon of modern-day, largely sedentary people practicing the traditional asanas of Indian yogis. Broad then spoke to Black a year later, after the instructor had undergone surgery for spinal degeneration he attributed to yoga.

After reading the article, as we went into our first backbend in our Bikram yoga class (singled out in the article for its own types of risks), we were suddenly crippled — with nagging doubt. Were we going too far? To relax students, some of instructors joke that if your head falls off during the first backbend, you get free yoga for life. Suddenly, the vision haunted us: Is yoga inherently dangerous?

Then a yoga instructor pointed us to a blog titled “How the NYT Can Wreck Yoga” by respected teacher Eddie Stern, director of Ashtanga Yoga New York. While courteous about Broad’s perspective — as most yogis’ responses have been — Stern contradicts many of Broad’s claims, noting that the article is “heavy on anecdote and slim on science,” and leans toward the sensational.

With Stern’s post are responses from Marshall Hagins, Ph.D., P.T.,  a professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Long Island University, and Rick Bartz, a New York chiropractor, both of whom noted an error in the article that the cervical spine can rotate only 50 degrees. While Broad says the yoga-related emergency room visits have gone from 13 to 46 in two years, Hagins put things in perspective when he observes that the number of people doing yoga has increased by 15 million in 10 years, as well as noting that yoga injuries are far fewer than in most sports (especially contact sports, such as football).

What everyone seems to agree upon is that yoga does pose some risk for injury. Stern says that some are due to overzealousness on the part of the student. And he agrees there’s often a lack of thorough teacher training — the byproduct of yoga becoming a booming industry. “Yoga has been McDona-fied,” he notes.

As for Broad’s book, we’re tempted to dismiss it based this one chapter, but we’re intrigued by Simon & Schuster’s description, which promises the work cuts through mysticism, hype and superstition and “celebrates what’s real and shows what’s illusory, describes what’s uplifting and beneficial and what’s flaky and dangerous — and why.” And Priscilla Warner, author of Learning to Breathe (Free Press, 2011), which we told you about recently, is quoted on the book’s jacket that it is a motivation to practice yoga.

What do you think about this recent discussion of yoga’s benefits and risks?

Photo credit: Lise Gagne

The 2013 Ford Escape has a hands-free power liftgate, so drivers can open the back by waving a foot under the bumper instead of fumbling for keys.

After seeing Black Friday reports of pepper spray, looting and brawls, we weren’t surprised to hear that 87 percent of Americans report stress while holiday shopping. About 55 percent say that driving-related issues, such as navigating traffic and finding parking, are among the top stressors. So we’re happy to report that Ford is offering a Hands-Free Holiday Giveaway, which promises an escape (like the Ford Escape, get it?) from the stresses of the season. Through Dec. 23, simply submit a foolproof way to escape holiday stress on the contest Facebook page, and you could win an American Express $25 gift card.

A winner is drawn daily, so if you have enough tips, you can enter more than once! Stress expert Susie Mantell of Relaxintuit.com teamed up with Ford to share a few tips of her own, including creating a timeline to avoid last-minute pressure (and keeping it on hand for next year) and setting a limit on spending.

After submitting a tip, those who live in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, the New York tri-state area and San Francisco can opt to share a holiday horror story in 500 words or less for a chance to win a $500 gift card. Six grand prize winners (one in each city) will be drawn Dec. 19, and also get a personal shopping assistant for three hours to assist him/her and up to two friends, from acting as a chauffeur to carrying bags! (That’s where the hands-free part comes in.)

So what does this have to do with the Ford Escape? The 2013 model has a hands-free power liftgate that eliminates the need for fumbling for a key with arms full. Simply make a kicking motion under the bumper — we had the opportunity to try it out and we found a hokey-pokey right-foot-in move to be effective — and the back will open for loading! (You still have to have the key on your person, so it’s not like anyone can just stroll up and kick open the car.) The 2013 Ford Escape with an EcoBoost engine promises even better fuel economy and performance as well as more torque and horsepower.

We also recently got a sneak peek at a few other upcoming eco-friendly Ford models. The new Ford C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi Plug-in Hybrid, both slated for 2012, are available with hands-free liftgate, front/rear parking assistance, a panoramic sunroof and a “Brake Coach” to reduce wear on the brakes. The C-MAX Hybrid is slated to get more miles to the gallon than the current Fusion Hybrid, which gets 41 mpg, and is the first of two new Ford Hybrids to use lithium-ion battery technology. The C-MAX Energi Plug-in switches from electric to hybrid mode.

Actor Adrian Grenier and film producer Peter Glatzer were at the preview event to talk about the 10 documentary shorts sponsored by Ford for the pair’s eco-website SHFT. The films will profile innovators in the eco-movement.

Sharing the spotlight was the Ford Focus Electric, the first zero-emission, rechargeable passenger car from Ford. For a more detailed look at the Ford Focus Electric and a few other eco-friendly vehicles, check out “Electric Avenue” in the September/October issue of VIVmag.

What are some of your surefire ways to cope with stress during the holidays?

Andrew Weil, M.D., recommends a simple breathing exercise to reduce stress and anxiety.

We recently had the opportunity to hear integrative physician Andrew Weil, M.D., author of the new book Spontaneous Happiness (Little, Brown and Co., 2011), speak about the toll that the 21st century’s frenetic pace takes on the body and brain. For one thing, overstimulation leads to increased production of the “stress hormone” cortisol, interfering with memory formation and leaving us anxious and upset — feelings that can be amplified by December’s holiday crowds and the pressure to make merry. To reclaim your sense of control over holiday madness, Weil recommends a simple breathing exercise.

Weil’s 4-7-8 relaxing breath exercise is easy to do, completely free and requires no equipment. Just do four breaths at least twice a day — but no more than four at a time for the first month of practice, since deep breathing can make you feel lightheaded until your body adapts. Here’s the technique:

• Put the tip of your tongue on the ridge behind your top front teeth and keep it there for the duration of the exercise.
• Close your mouth and inhale through your nose to the count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale through your mouth, making a “whoosh” sound, for a count of eight.
• Repeat three more times.

We’ve been trying the 4-7-8 exercise and it turns out the effects of this mindful breathing exercise are cumulative; the more faithfully we practice it, the better we feel. In fact, Weil’s patients who perform the breaths regularly report that they feel less tense and anxious, deal better with food cravings and pain and have improved overall health. The reasoning behind the exercise lies in the fact that when we’re upset or in pain, we tend to take very shallow, rapid breaths. Becoming more mindful reduces muscle tension and slows breathing to a healthier rhythm.

Research also shows that breath control and mindfulness can actually change our brains: A 2004 study of Buddhist monks found more activity in areas of the brain where positive feelings reside and less where negative feelings form compared with people who were just learning to meditate. In fact, this study inspired author Priscilla Warner to embark on a yearlong quest for inner peace, chronicled in her latest book, Learning to Breathe (Free Press, 2011), which we recommend for anyone suffering from panic attacks.

More recently, a Yale study found that people who regularly meditate are able to turn off parts of the brain that are associated with a wandering mind and anxiety. Researchers say meditation may not only increase happiness, but also help deal with stress and even mental disorders.

So next time you’re feeling stressed, anxious, fearful, sleepless or simply out of sorts, remember to breathe! Do you think that a simple breathing exercise can help reduce your stress this holiday season?

The Great American Smokeout is held annually the third Thursday in November to help smokers kick the habit and improve their health.

Today is the Great American Smokeout, but smokers won’t get any preaching from us. We know how annoying nagging can be — especially when you’re trying to quit and on edge already. Kicking the habit is one of the hardest things we’ve ever done. So we just want give a virtual pat on the back and a vote of confidence to those who are quitting today and share some tips and tools from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and American Lung Association.

According to the ACS, of the 46 million Americans who smoke, more than half of them have tried to quit at least once in the past year. We can all agree that smoking is not good for us; it’s responsible for 90 percent of lung cancer deaths and 80 to 90 percent of deaths from emphysema and chronic bronchitis, according to the American Lung Association. Smoking also is linked to higher risk of heart disease and stroke.

But these days, smoking is likely to take a heavy toll on your wallet too. A smoking cost calculator is sure to be an eye-opener, especially in places like New York City, where cigarettes are $12 to $14 a pack. Since cigarettes have increased dramatically in many places over the past decade or two, it’s hard to come up with a single lifetime total. But considering that a smoker who pays $5 per pack and smokes half a pack per day spends nearly $1,000 per year, even looking at it short term might provide quitting incentive.

Take an online survey so see if you’re eligible for the American Cancer Society/George Washington University E-Quit Study, which aims to help smokers quit via email. Participants must fill out an introductory survey and four follow-up surveys. Those eligible will receive a $10 Amazon gift card, and participants who complete the study earn $50 total.

The American Lung Association has offered community-based Freedom From Smoking classes since 1981. The eight sessions cover such topics as smoking-cessation medications, lifestyle changes, quitting preparation and stress and weight management. To find a group in your area, call (800) LUNGUSA or check out Freedom From Smoking Online.

The American Cancer Society has a Stop Smoking Quiz to discern what type of smoker you are to help create a personal quitting plan. You’ll also find on their website a few tools for Windows: a countdown clock that offers tips for preparing to quit and daily advice after quitting and a Craving Stopper memory match game to provide distraction when the urge for a cigarette hits.

If you’re worried that you might be at risk for lung cancer and are considering a CT scan, check out “Should You Be Screened for Lung Cancer?” in the latest issue of VIVMag for facts about cost, risk and accuracy.

Do you plan to quit smoking today? Do any ex-smokers have tips to share?

Photo credit: Dra Schwartz

The Neuro Film Festival is asking for submissions that illustrate the importance of brain disorder research.

We recently learned that one in six Americans is affected by a brain or nervous system disorder — an estimated 50 million — according to the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). We personally know people affected by the most well-known disorders: Alzheimer’s, migraines, autism, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, ALS and stroke. The annual Neuro Film Festival, a short-film competition to raise awareness about neurological disorders and the importance of research, is an inspiring call to action.

The grand prize winner receives $1,000 and the runner-up wins $500. The winners also each get a trip for one to New Orleans, where the winning film will be shown at the 2012 annual AAN meeting in late April, as well as a one-night hotel stay. The fan favorite selected through online voting receives a certificate of recognition.

In its third year, the Neuro Film Festival is calling for submissions from neurology patients, caregivers or anyone with a story to tell about the need for research in brain disorders. The submission deadline is January 31, 2012.

To enter, create a video that’s 5 minutes or less, upload it on YouTube as a response to the Neuro Film Festival video and fill out an entry form. (Check the official rules on the site for details, including keyword tags.) The film must include the phrase, “Let’s put our brains together to support brain research.” There is no entry fee and the competition is open to all residents of the U.S. and Canada. The films will be reviewed by an AAN judges’ panel, which will select the winning film and notify the winner in March.

We watched some previous winners, including “Calling On Her,” the inspirational story of Sierra Taylor, a little girl who battled Stage 4 medulloblastoma for almost four years. In last year’s runner-up “Often Awesome The Series,” Tim LaFollette shared how he coped with Lou Gehrig’s Disease before he died in August 2011.

If you’re not interested in making a film but still would like to support the cause, you can buy a virtual brain for a friend or family member for only $5! (Just make sure the recipient won’t take it as a mean-spirited hint!)

Do you know someone affected by a neurological or nervous system disorder?

This feminist women's guide to health and sexuality spawned controversy in 1971, when the first edition was published.

We knew “the talk” was coming when our mothers determinedly entered our rooms, clutching a copy of a certain book. As we leafed recently through the updated version of Our Bodies, Ourselves (Touchstone, 2011), first published in 1971, we no longer saw it as a bellwether of impending adolescent embarrassment but now as a rich, reliable, multi-layered resource, helpful to women no matter where they are on the reproductive spectrum.

At three inches thick, and 800-plus pages, the tome from the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective focuses primarily on reproductive and sexual health, with the intention of helping women understand their bodies and make informed decisions. But encompassing the “ourselves” category, information on mental health, relationships, emotional challenges, safety and legal rights are included too.

When first published 40 years ago, the book was revolutionary because the writers believed that women could and should be in control of their own bodies, rather than doctors, who at that time were mostly men. As part of the rising feminist movement, the book became an underground bestseller — but not without condemnation, since it covered sensitive topics such as vaginal self-examination, birth control, sexuality, lesbianism, rape and abortion.

Becoming less controversial as time has gone on, Our Bodies, Ourselves has been updated and expanded, and translated into many languages. More than 180 contributors, primarily doctors, provide the medical and practical information in Our Bodies, Ourselves, but first-person narratives from women throughout the book describe personal experiences with herpes, HIV, bladder problems, aging, fertility, miscarriage and other topics and provide a realistic picture of women’s health.

The latest version calls attention to the power of pharmaceutical companies in medical research, the gender disparities in health care, as well as environmental factors and even politics that can affect women’s health. For example, the section on menopause includes a sidebar that details how drug companies have promoted the concept of osteopenia as a disease, and helped to create fear of bone fractures to generate drug sales. This edition concludes with a section on activism that provides sources for joining or starting a grassroots movement for better health, including the use of social networks and other technology.

We hope Our Bodies, Ourselves and its message of taking control of our health will endure for generations to come. How much progress in this area do you think women have made in the past 40 years?

Gina Torres sang the opening number at the 11th annual Les Girls fundraiser, benefiting the National Breast Cancer Coalition.

Of all the events and fundraisers held every October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we look forward most to Les Girls cabaret, where Hollywood stars put on a saucy musical show to raise money and awareness for the National Breast Cancer Coalition. The 11th annual revue on Oct. 17 raked in $450,000 from ticket sales, pledges and silent auction bids, bringing the NBCC that much closer to its goal of ending breast cancer by 2020.

“I’m sure you’ve been touched by breast cancer,” said Modern Family’s Julie Bowen, the evening’s host. “I don’t know anyone who hasn’t.” She introduced NBCC president and cancer survivor Fran Visco, who shared some sobering statistics: one in eight women will get breast cancer; 260,000 will be diagnosed this year alone, and 40,000 of those women will die from the disease.

Not surprisingly, many of the celeb performers in The Love Boat-themed show, directed by actor Jason Alexander, had personal ties to the disease. Gina Torres (Suits), who opened the show with the blues tune “Slow Rollin’ Mama,” noted that “A couple of dear friends have had breast cancer.” The actress, who lost her mother to a different type of cancer, added, “We have to continue to raise awareness.”

Broadway veteran Katie Finneran, who will star in Fox’s upcoming sitcom I Hate My Teenage Daughter, said, “One of my very good friends was diagnosed right as she had a baby and it was a desperate time for her. But I know the NBCC had something to do with her healing.” The two-time Tony winner sang one of the evening’s tamer tunes, about a clueless woman who falls for a gay man on a cruise.

Men got into the Les Girls act too, two of them providing the most hilariously raunchy numbers. Mad Men alumnus Bryan Batt sang the potty-mouthed “My Future Wife,” and Steven Weber, currently in The Big Year, delighted the audience with the double entendre-filled “Blow Me (a Kiss From Across the Room).” Having performed in the benefit for nine of its 11 years, Weber is committed to the cause. “The sad thing is if you’re around long enough almost every single disease affects you or your family,” he says. “Cancer is something that has been in my life for years. My sister passed away from cancer. So it’s a cause that’s dear to me.”

Other highlights included Alexander serenading Sarah Chalke; Laura Bell Bundy channeling Tina Turner, Julie Andrews and Judy Garland; and Celine Dion’s show-stopping medley, and Loretta Devine’s show-closer, “I Told You I Love You, Now Get Out!”

We’re always inspired by breast-cancer-awareness initiatives. In fact, throughout the month of October, VIVMag is donating $5 of every subscription sold to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Do you plan to take part in any breast-cancer-awareness fundraisers or events this month?

Photo credit: Brandon Clark/ABImages