Author Leah Hager Cohen says her blog is inspired by her mother, for at least two reasons. One: it is because of her mom that she's a writer. "She has seen me for a writer my whole life, ever since I could make up stories and dictate them to her," says Cohen. Two: her mom is fighting ovarian cancer, has been since April 2006 when she was 62. Cohen's blog -- Love As a Found Object -- is for her mom and about her mom. It is quite a blog.

In an entry written in September 2006, Cohen shares:

My mother is perhaps the most energetic person I know, and my children, who collectively run a close second, have grown accustomed to having her set the pace when she is around. She's the one who persuaded me, six years ago, that the kids and I did not need a dining room nearly so much as we needed a "project room." She usually arrives for visits bearing the raw materials and mental blueprint for some art or engineering project into which she and the kids then plunge together. Even though we've all had months to get used to her cancer, her tiredness still seems strange, as does the chemo-haze from which she regards us more quietly than is her wont. She seems almost an imposter in this muffled state, so accustomed are we to having her lead us on capers and jaunts through real and metaphorical woods.

High-profile television and newspaper gosspip columnist Claudia Cohen, most recently a regular correspondent covering entertainment for the syndicated talk show Live With Regis and Kelly, died Friday of ovarian cancer. She was 56.

Known for her aggressive pursuit of celebrity news and her public divorce from billionaire businessman Ronald O. Perelman, Cohen first hit the spotlight in the late 1970s as a reporter and editor for Page Six of The New York Post. She went on to write a gossip column titled I, Claudia for The Daily News of New York, report for Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, and dish celebrity dirt for ABC's The Morning Show.

Cohen is survived by her parents, a brother, and a daughter.

I went to a yoga class once -- it was when I was bald from chemotherapy because I remember wearing my wig and hat and hoping desperately that nothing would topple off my head while I stretched and balanced and folded my body into various positions. My bald head did stay covered and I was able to depart from the class with my dignity intact -- but for some reason, I never went back for another yoga class. Perhaps it was the difficulty I had relaxing while trying to manage the security blanket that masked my bare head. If I ever have to do it again, I think I will leave my hair and hat at home so I can give my undivided attention to the yoga experience -- which is becoming more and more recognized for its healing power.

New findings from a pilot study reveal that women going through treatment for breast cancer feel better, sleep better, and have less fatigue when they practice yoga. Side effects of treatment also seem to fade as a result of this ancient discipline. Lorenzo Cohen, a psychologist, led researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and studied 61 women undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Thirty women were placed in a test group and took yoga twice per week for six weeks. The others did not take yoga. Once the study was complete, the participants completed questionnaires grading their physical abilities -- ability to lift groceries, walk a mile, and complete other physical tasks -- and also their feelings about fatigue, sense of well-being, and quality of life. The yoga group consistently scored higher on almost all physical components. No difference was found between the groups in the areas of depression or anxiety.

There is no doubt that exercise contributes to a healthy lifestyle in general. And it seems yoga is no different. Focused on meditation, imagery, controlled breathing, stretching, and physical movements, yoga is sure to benefit breast cancer patients. And I think I need to give it another try.