Breast cancer is personal for Nicole Kidman. At 17, her mother Janelle was diagnosed with breast cancer. As a celebrity spokesperson for Cancer Research UK Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Kidman helped launched this October's All Join Together campaign by unveiling a giant pink ribbon on the Stardome at Madame Tussauds.

Kidman shares, "As someone whose family has personally been affected by the disease, I can't stress enough how important it is that women get to know and understand what is normal for their body. I hope that this Cancer Research UK campaign will raise awareness of breast cancer amongst women of all ages and encourage them to report any unusual changes and go for screening if they're over 50. Together we will beat cancer."

On October 5th, A Touch of Pink party will be held in the Blush room of Madame Tussauds. Madame Tussauds is famous for its wax figures of celebrities, notable persons and world figures. Many celebrities are expected to attend the A Touch of Pink party. For more information on purchasing tickets to the event, email tickets@atouchofpink.org.

To learn more about Cancer Research UK's mission in cancer prevention and research; and in improving the lives of cancer patients, visit Cancer Research UK.

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.

Actress Catherine Bell, who may be best known for her role in the television series J.A.G., is a thyroid cancer survivor and celebrity spokesperson for The Thyroid Cancer Survivors Association, ThyCa. Bell is featured in ThyCa's Thyroid Cancer Awareness patient brochure, where she shares her own thyroid cancer survivor story and highlights the importance of learning about the disease and the resources available for thyroid cancer patients.

In 1989, Catherine Bell was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. As part of her treatment, she underwent surgery and makes no effort to hide the thyroidectomy scar at the base of her neck. Bell is quoted as saying, "I think it's kinda cool. I'm living proof that early detection and treatment work." In addition, Bell has made no effort to conceal the fact that she is a Scientologist. As Mary Shomon, About.com thyroid guide points out, "a group that is actively fighting against key sectors of the medical community, namely the mental health and psychiatry community."

My understanding into the philosophy and beliefs of Scientologists regarding the medical community's use of prescription drugs begin and end with Tom Cruise's rather passionate outburst during his interview with Matt Lauer last year over the discussion of psychiatry, and Cruise's public attack of Brooke Shields for taking antidepressants for postpartum depression. Shomon, who presents her concerns in much more depth than I do for her here, raises questions over the vision of the thyroid organization's choice of celebrity spokesperson. To date, ThyCa has refused to answer Shoman's requests for a comment on this issue, and concludes by saying, "This leaves me to assume that ThyCa is hoping that no one besides me notices that one of the nation's most prominent Scientologists is on the cover of their patient brochure." Do you think it matters that Bell, as a thyroid cancer survivor chosen as a spokesperson for a thyroid cancer organization, is also a Scientologist?