Some of Barbie's fans want to see her go completely bald. This isn't a tribute to little brothers maiming Barbie dolls or a throwback to bald-headed icons of yesteryear Sinead O'Connor and Susan Powter. No, this is a grassroots effort to bring attention to cancer...or alopecia...or trichotillomania...or any sort of medical condition that causes girls to lose their hair. more ›

Doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center removed a cancer patient from the liver transplant list in February for using medical marijuana and failing to show up for a drug test. Last week the 63-year-old patient, Norman Smith, asked the medical center to reconsider reinstating him. more ›

Lindsey Miller, 26, is among the millions of us living in Los Angeles who never seems to run into celebrities--especially the one she has a crush on. Miller, a cancer patient, says on her blog that she recently saw the film 50/50, and has a message for its star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt: She wants to go on a date with him. more ›

Gregory Powell, one of the two men responsible for the 1963 "Onion Field" kidnap and murder of Los Angeles Police Department Officer Ian Campbell has cancer, and is serving a life sentence. However, District Attorney Steve Cooley announced late today that the California Board of Parole Hearings has denied Powell a compassionate release from prison. more ›

Man v. Bar presents the perfect opportunity to day drink for a good case this Saturday, September 10, at Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade. Beginning at The Yard at noon, drinkers will imbibe to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training. more ›

The California EPA has issued the first U.S. public health goal for minimizing the cancer-causing metal hexavalent chromium (or, chromium 6) in drinking water, according to the L.A. Times. more ›

Today the California Senate voted in favor of a bill designed to protect teens from using tanning beds. A 24-to-9 vote in the 40-member house was in favor of passing SB 746, which would replace the current law that allows teens aged 14-17 to use tanning beds with the permission of a parent or guardian. more ›

A family is pleading for help and offering a large reward to locate a pair of Yorkies stolen from their Woodland Hills home on Thursday, reports CBS Local. One of the pets is a 2-year-old registered therapy dog, the other is an 8-month-old puppy. more ›

Millions of U.S. homes are still drinking tap water highly contaminated with cancer-causing hexavalent chromium, according to an environmental group study released Monday, reports FOX LA. more ›

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO and Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Carly Fiorina has been hospitalized with an infection, her campaign announced today. She last year successfully battled breast cancer but "an infection associated with the reconstructive surgery and, as a result, she was admitted to the hospital to receive antibiotics to treat this infection." They said doctors expect her to make a full recovery and be on the campaign trail soon. She was scheduled to be in Riverside County today. more ›

A handful of Hollywood buildings will be bathed in blue light starting tonight and it's not for the Dodgers. Today actually marks the beginning of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. The disease, identified as blue on awareness ribbons, is the most common cancer in males the U.S. Approximately, there are 180,000 diagnoses each year and it kills some 40,000 annually. more ›

Lynn Redgrave, the Oscar-nominated actress known for her roles in Georgy Girl and Gods and Monsters, died at her home Sunday in Connecticut, her family announced this morning. The 67-year-old was battling breast cancer. more ›

The inspiring story of math teacher Jaime Escalante and students whose lives he touched at East L.A.'s Garfield High was immortalized in the film 1987 Stand and Deliver. Now the actor who played Escalante is hoping his celebrity will help inspire others to contribute funds to aid Escalante in his fight against cancer, according to KTLA. more ›

When LAist interviewed Brandon Schott last year, he related the story of his battle with cancer and the charity efforts that arose from his struggle. Friday night at Molly Malone's, he and other singer/songwriters--who are also cancer survivors or advocates--will raise funds for the I'm Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation. The "Turning Toward the Sun" benefit and will also include a silent auction, door prizes, drink specials and more. LAist caught up with Schott yesterday for a brief chat about his new album and tomorrow night's event. more ›

The holiday season is all about giving. We know that. Somewhere in between waking up at 3am for the doorbuster deals, braving the mall crowds and boycotting consumerism all together, we can maintain our "holiday sanity" by buying gifts that support those organizations working to drive social change and improve the lives of others. We've divided this into two parts. Part I lists those gifts for when you actually need to present the recipient with a tangible good, otherwise, you ruined the Festivus...for everyone. In Part II, you'll find organizations that use your donation to give a gift to someone else less fortunate more ›

It was just a few months ago when 6-year old Pablo Castelaz lost his battle with cancer, after treatment at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. 13 months before that, he was diagnosed, almost seemingly out of nowhere showing no warning signs prior, with bilateral Wilms’ Tumor, a rare form of children’s cancer. more ›

“A worse thing couldn’t have happened to a better guy,” said Adam Carolla of 31 year-old “Bald” Bryan Bishop’s inoperable brain tumor. “He’s one of the sharpest, brightest, smartest, nicest guys I’ve ever met.” more ›

Susan Atkins, the longest incarcerated woman in California history, died last night of natural causes. The 61-year-old native from San Gabriel was diagnosed with brain cancer, which prompted her to and relatives to ask for a compassionate release. That, along with thirteen attempts to be paroled, was denied last summer. Her last parole hearing was just a few weeks ago on September 3rd (she's been trying to be paroled since 1976). more ›

President Myles Brand of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's died today after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was the first university president--in 2002, he left the top post at Indiana University--to take the job as NCAA's chief executive, most notably becoming a "champion of academic reform, fiscal responsibility and student-athlete well-being," according to the association. "The keystone of his work was the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate program," explained Bloomberg News, "which measured the success of each athletic team in keeping athletes on track to graduate. Teams slipping behind faced penalties, including the loss of athletic scholarships." Brand was 67. more ›

After his battle with pancreatic cancer, Patrick Swayze has died, according to his publicist. It occurred today with his family by his side. Since March 2008, when he publicly announced that he was fighting cancer, he continued to work, most recently on A&E's canceled show, The Beast. It was reported last week, he had returned to his Los Angeles home from the hospital to prepare to die. more ›

In sad news today from the Beastie Boys, Adam Yauch has a cancerous tumor in his left parotid (salivary) gland which means the group will be canceling their current tour which includes the Hollywood Bowl on September 24th. In a video announcement--embedded below--Yauch expresses healthy optimism about his recovery, because the cancer is localized and will not affect his vocal chords. He's expected to have surgery next week, to be followed by radiation treatment. This will also delay the release of their next album. Those with tickets to the Hollywood Bowl show should check this website for details. more ›

Seventeen restaurants tomorrow will donate 10 percent of their gross profits for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner service to Susan G. Komen for the Cure Los Angeles County. “Breast cancer awareness and prevention education is a cause close to my heart,” said Chef Ben Ford, Proprietor and Executive Chef at Ford’s Filling Station in Culver City. “I admire the work the Susan G. Komen Los Angeles County Affiliate has done in making strides to find a cure for this all-too-common disease, and I am thrilled to be able to have my restaurant and craft contribute toward this.” more ›

Charlie's Angels darling, Farrah Fawcett, died this morning at 9:28 a.m. at St. John’s Heath Center in Santa Monica where she had returned "for treatment of complications from anal cancer, first diagnosed three years ago," according to People Magazine. She was 62 years old. Her spokesperson is saying the cause of death is the cancer. Ryan O'Neal and Alana Stewart were at her bedside as she passed away, reported TMZ. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, she had become pop culture figure and sex symbol after her role on Charlie's Angels when it began airing in 1976. You will be sorely missed, Farrah Fawcett, sorely missed. RIP. more ›

We're number one! But if you're gearing up to start cheering, don't hold your breath. In fact, you might want to reconsider breathing in at all. Why? Because according to the Environmental Protection Agency, we have the most toxic air in the country, reports cbs2. more ›

Today and tomorrow's ultraviolet index level in Los Angeles is 7, which means a person could be sunburned in 7-8 minutes of exposure to the sun. Everyday, the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center releases the next day's UV levels and as we approach summer, these numbers have been climbing out of the low and moderate levels towards the high. "There are two prices to pay for overexposure to UV radiation: a severe sun burn following an intense short term overexposure, and the more serious skin cancers developing after long term overexposure," the Service explains. "Melanoma, the more deadly of the two types of skin cancer occurs when the patient has been subjected to several intense short term overexposures." If UV levels reach 10 or beyond, it could take four minutes to develop a sunburn. more ›

With around 84% of all cancer risk from air pollution due to diesel exhaust, the Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program began today immediately banning 2,000 trucks made before 1989. And By 2012, the new law will ban any truck that doesn’t meet the cleanest 2007 emission standards, ultimately taking 16,000 dirty-diesel trucks off the road. The trucking industry fought the plan saying it would "place an unconstitutional and unfair economic burden on port truckers." Compliance checks were in order today but cargo was reportedly moving smoothly. more ›

Hollywood legend Paul Newman died last night at his home in Connecticut after a lengthy battle with cancer. The actor was 83. more ›

Riding the Red Line into Hollywood this morning a track from David Gilmour's On an Island made its way into my ears. As I sat there half asleep listening to the guitar hero uncharacteristically blow his sax, I picked up on the somber mood of the tune and attributed it to Richard Wright's majestic keyboard playing, so subtle yet so brilliant. The original Pink Floyd founder passed away from cancer today at his home in Britain. He was 65. more ›

A multi-year study conducted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District has found that cancer risk from air pollution is down overall by 8 percent. However, some areas of the region have an increased risk. more ›