The Race to Erase MS Gala will return to Fairmont Century Plaza on June 2, 2023 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Gala. The annual Gala is one of the most important fundraising events supporting innovative research and therapeutic approaches to eradicate Multiple Sclerosis through the foundation’s Center Without Walls program. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the celebrity-filled Gala, where guests will participate in a silent auction before enjoying dinner featuring live musical performances from Flo Rida and Siedah Garrett. The event will also boast a fashion show from Hollywoo ..read more

Venus Williams is using her platform to help those in need of healthcare, education and homes in the city she was raised.   “It’s so important to talk about these topics because if we’re not talking about them, then we can’t address them,” Williams told Los Angeles. “So we have to have these conversations and then we’re able to start to have action.” That action includes partnering with Blue Shield of California to help bring attention to the bias that exists today in healthcare. Williams wanted to work with the organization in order to spread awareness on a variety of issues including he ..read more

George Sear felt the pressure of accurately portraying the struggles of addiction on a teen rom-com, especially considering it was an issue that hit close to home for his own family.  “I didn’t take the responsibility lightly,” Sear told Los Angeles. “I have a lot of family members who have dealt with alcoholism and addiction, so I know how it can really take over someone’s life.”  “Unfortunately, my uncle is no longer here anymore, but he was still happy towards the end of his life even though he was still battling with things,” he added when asked if he spoke to family members deal ..read more

I moved out of Los Angeles in 2020 at the height of the pandemic after 20 years of epic dream-building, and after one week of beating cancer. It’s like being in love with an addict who you had no choice to leave. For me, living those dreams, at times, quickly turned to nightmares—but I’m resilient, and always land on my feet. Always have. Like thousands who came before me, I came to the city in 2001 with the intention of following every glamorous dream that the little Midwestern girl in me desired. I had $100 in my pocket, and I was ready to take on the world. The palm tree-lined partial utopi ..read more

As a doctor, I probably seem like the least likely person to become addicted to something—and certainly not to social media. However, my habit wasn’t a quaint pastime, with me breezily strolling through a digital playground. This addiction nearly destroyed my relationships with my wife and twin teenage daughters. Social media addiction is real. And it’s severely damaging, and it overtakes you like a fire slowly consuming your house when you don’t even smell any smoke. My social media match was struck over two years ago. My twin girls (14 years old at the time) said there are some really good d ..read more

Children’s hospitals across the country have witnessed a frightening surge in cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Although the virus commonly sends thousands of children to pediatric units throughout the fall and winter seasons, the number of cases hit an historical spike this year for the second summer in a row. These unusually high numbers are already pushing hospitals to capacity, and warranting a notice from public health officials that winter could be a “tripledemic”—COVID, flu, and RSV. While RSV is not typically a problem for adults, causing only mild illness with cold-like symp ..read more

In an effort to promote the new availability of the COVID vaccine for children under five, young Muppet Elmo proudly pulled up his sleeve and got the shot himself, according to a video shared by the Washington Post. And Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex) had some problems with the notion. The iconic red, furry Sesame Street resident, who has been age three-and-a-half since 1984, noted that there was “a little pinch, but it was okay.” His Muppet father, Louie, congratulated Elmo and told him that he was “super-duper” while getting the shot. “I had a lot of questions about Elmo getting the COVID vaccine. Was ..read more

International air travelers will soon be able to take this crucial task off their to-do list. The Biden administration announced Friday that it will no longer require international air travelers to take a COVID test within a day before boarding flights to the U.S. The air travel rule, which has been in place since January 2021 and is one of the last remaining national COVID mandates, is set to expire at 12:01 a.m. EST on Sunday, CNN reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is lifting the travel restriction after determining it was no longer necessary “based on the science and da ..read more

Los Angeles County on Thursday announced its first suspected case of monkeypox, but stressed that the risk of infection in the general population “remains very low.” “The patient is an adult resident who recently traveled and had a known close contact to a case. Although the patient is symptomatic, they are doing well and not hospitalized. They are isolated from others,” county health officials said in a statement. “Public Health is continuing to investigate and conduct contact tracing and post-exposure prevention for close contacts.” Officials are awaiting confirmation from the Centers for Di ..read more