(Photo: Charles Ward and Carolyn Farb)

It was a great night to gala it up in Houston and we love that several hundred swanky attendees, dressed in their finest shades of blue, recently gathered at the Hilton Post Oak Houston to celebrated 2016’s Blue Cure Benefit Dinner. In fact, Blue Cure’s mission is to prevent prostate cancer and improve outcomes for those with cancer by funding and advocating for cancer research in integrative and preventive medicine and by educating men and youth about dietary and lifestyle habits to greatly reduce their risk of cancer.

This year, the men’s health foundation honored the contributions of Dr. Carolyn Farb, hc for her work in raising awareness on behalf of Blue Cure’s mission – education for men on the importance of preventative lifestyle measures in reducing risk for prostate cancer. Farb, as we all know, has been a tireless fundraiser and champion of so many wonderful causes over the years.

The chic guests were treated to a presentation by best-selling author and health world expert Dean Ornish, MD, who delivered a powerful talk on his work on reversing heart disease and diabetes without surgery or drugs, and shared his eye-opening research on prostate cancer. Dining on a superfood-focused menu, Chefs Jason Schneider and Scott Kanasugi proved preventative menus can be delicious, with organic greens and kale salad, Miso-Yaki fillet of Black Cod, and a dark chocolate and Dulce de Leche tart.

Co-chairs included former Houston Texans center Chris Myers and former Cleveland Browns center Ryan Pontbriand, with honorary chairs A.J. and Siobhan Gracely offering support for the evening’s success as well. Tunes by Rom Ryan and Moodafaruka and floral provided by HEB set the pace for the evening, and Judge Eric Andell served as auctioneer, himself a prostate cancer survivor. Items up for bid included a Hublot Boutique Big Bang Wall Clock, BellaVetro and David Fink’s large-scale hand-cut mosaic portrait of Marilyn Monroe, an incredible weekend in Las Vegas at the Golden Nugget, courtesy of Tilman and Paige Fertitta, a one-of-a-kind black Lambskin Leather and black Crocodile “Carolyn” bag designed by Jonathan Blake, and a Houston Astros experience, courtesy of Don Sanders.

Guests enjoyed zucchini-chocolate chip cookies and almond milk upon departure from Green Plate Foods and MALK, along with copies of the latest Dr. Ornish best-seller, The Spectrum. Notable attendees included: Gerald and Barbara Hines, former U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Rod Paige and Stephanie Nellons-Paige, Owen and Angela Daniels (formerly of the Houston Texans, current Denver Broncos player), Garrett and Erika Graham, Duane Brown and Devon Anjelica, Bun B and Queenie, Houston energy analyst Henry Groppe, MD Anderson’s Dr. Lorenzo Cohen and Alison Jeffries, Fred & Mabel R. Parks Foundation’s Jim McClellan, Staci Henderson and Dr. Quang Henderson, Master of Ceremonies Deborah Duncan, Dr. Dean Ornish, Judge Eric Andell, former Channel 13 Anchor and actor Bob Boudreaux, H-E-B’s Winell Herron and Doug Herron, Alan May, Vivien Wise, and Blue Cure board member and comedienne Jenny Johnson, who flew in from Los Angeles in loving memory of her father, Norris Johnson, who lost his battle with prostate cancer.

For more information on Blue Cure’s outreach and advocacy efforts (including Blue Cure Sports, the annual Blue Cure Night Run, the #LightitBlue and White House Blue campaigns), please visit www.bluecure.org