Good morning everyone, hope your well! I’m still unfortunately no better, so my mum is still having to help me. Last week I mentioned that we were going to visit my sister Kim and nephew Isaac on Sunday, but unfortunately that didn’t happen as Kim and Chris weren’t feeling great, so we’re postponing the visit for now, plus my dad’s leg gave out on him at the end of the week, so he was struggling to walk on it, it’s starting to feel better now thankfully. We also thought it was best to wait until I’ve seen a Doctor about my declining health (loss of speech and mobility) to see if with their help they can see what’s wrong with me. We did however go to Ponderosa Zoo, which isn’t that far from us and saw some otters which I got excited about!

Anyway on with this weeks post…3 years ago today on the 12th July, Kelly Preston sadly lost her courageous fight with Cancer after battling with the disease quietly for 2 years, Choosing to keep her fight private, she had been undergoing medical treatment for some time, supported by her closest family and friends. She was a bright, beautiful and loving soul who cared deeply about others and who brought life to everything she touched. While Preston’s most famous quote from her starring role as Avery Bishop may have been a cynical take on relationships — “There is no real loyalty, and the first person who taught me that was you” (via IMDb) — her own real-life love story with Travolta lasted 28 years, until death did them part. In addition to Travolta, she is survived by their children, Ella Bleu and Benjamin. Their eldest son, Jett passed away aged 16 in 2009. You may have thought you knew Kelly, having seen her light up the screen (big and small) since the early ’80s, but there are still a few things about the actress that may come as a surprise. Read on to find out more..

Celebrating Kelly Preston

Mini Biography:

Kelly Kamalelehua Smith known professionally as Kelly Preston was born on October 13, 1962 in Honolulu, Hawaii. A talented and captivating performer, she first garnered international attention with her role as “Marnie Mason” in Ivan Reitman’s Twins (1988), starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. With her diverse character portrayals in films, such as director Cameron Crowe’s Jerry Maguire (1996); Citizen Ruth (1996) for Alexander Payne; and For Love of the Game (1999), directed by Sam Raimi, she continued to capture audience attention. Born in Hawaii, Kelly had to move to Iraq as a young girl. She then spent a lot of time in Australia. When she returned to Hawaii, she started appearing in commercials and developed an avid interest in acting, which she went on to pursue full-time. In the early part of her career, Kelly worked with notable director John Frankenheimer in the Elmore Leonard film, 52 Pick-Up (1986), alongside Roy Scheider and Ann-Margret. She married Travolta in 1991, whom she had met on the sets of ‘The Experts.’ and then slowed her career to raise their three children: Jett (born 1992, died in 2009), Ella Bleu (b. 2000), and Benjamin (b. 2010). In the late ’90s she returned to the screen as a foxy character actor in films including Jerry Maguire (1996, playing Tom Cruise‘s tough-minded former fiancée), Addicted to Love (1997, with Matthew Broderick) and For the Love of the Game (1999, with Kevin Costner). In 2009 Jett Travolta tragically died of a seizure when the family was on a vacation in the Bahamas. He had also suffered from ‘Kawasaki disease’ and had autism. Shortly after, Travolta and Preston established The Jett Travolta Foundation, which seeks to help children with special needs. Travolta’s website notes the foundation “shall endeavor to use its resources specifically to assist and provide relief to children with vision, hearing, mobility, communication, behavior learning impairments or other special medical, environmental, health or educational needs.” She was an avid supporter of parents’ and children’s rights. She was also very vocal about the drug, education, and environment-related issues. She has done so much work, in fact, that she has been awarded a number of awards and gained lots of recognition for her hard work. It was announced on July 13, 2020, that Kelly had passed away in her Florida home. Her death came following a two year battle with breast cancer. A family rep told PEOPLE at the time: “On the morning of July 12, 2020, Kelly Preston, adored wife and mother, passed away following a two-year battle with breast cancer. “Choosing to keep her fight private, she had been undergoing medical treatment for some time, supported by her closest family and friends.

Facts:

• She was born on 13 October 1962 meaning Her zodiac sign is Libra.
• Her mother was an administrator of a mental health center and her father worked in an agricultural firm. Unfortunately, he drowned when Kelly was just three years old. Later, her mother married Peter Palzis, who adopted Kelly. She had a younger half-brother named Chris Palzis.
• Her middle name, Kamalelehua, meant “garden of lehuas” in Hawaiian. The ‘Ohi’a Lehua is a Hawaiian flower.
• She studied theater and drama at the University of Southern California.
• While living in Australia, she was discovered at age 16 by a fashion photographer who helped her get work in commercials and other small parts.
• Starred in the music video “She Will Be Loved” by the pop rock band Maroon 5 (2004).

• Preston had been a spokeswoman for Neutrogena since 2005, appearing in its print and television ads.
• Kelly had appeared in over 60 productions across television and films in her career. She worked with some of the most significant figures in the industry.
• Some of the most significant figures in the industry she worked with included; Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, George Clooney, Kevin Bacon, Matthew Broderick and Meg Ryan.
• Had done most of her own singing in the comedy-drama movie What a Girl Wants (2003).
• In 1985, she made her film debut as Marilyn McCauley in the romantic comedy teen film ‘Mischief,’ followed by another teen romantic comedy, ‘Secret Admirer,’ in which she played the gorgeous but shallow Deborah Ann Fimple.

• Preston met John Travolta at a screen test for their 1989 comedy, The Experts, while Preston was still married to Gage.
• Before falling for John Travolta, Preston was married to SpaceCamp costar Kevin Gage from 1985 to 1987. She was also briefly linked to George Clooney in the ’80s.
• She was also engaged to Charlie Sheen in 1990 but ended the relationship shortly after he allegedly shot her in the arm. In a 2011 interview with TMZ, Preston said that Sheen did not shoot her.
• On New Year’s Eve 1991, Travolta got down on one knee inside the Palace Hotel restaurant in Gstaad, Switzerland, and proposed with a six-carat yellow-and-white diamond ring. John Travolta and Kelly Preston had two different marriage ceremonies, one week apart. Their first wedding ceremony, conducted on September 5, 1991, officiated by a French Scientologist minister, was found to be unofficial. The subsequent, official ceremony was conducted on September 12. The couple met in 1987.
• In 2000, she appeared in the film ‘Battlefield Earth,’ playing “Chirk” the girlfriend of the protagonist ‘Terl,’ played by her husband John Travolta.

• Her first child with John Travolta, son Jett Travolta, was born 13 April 1992.
• The first celebrity friend of the family to see their newborn son Benjamin was Kirstie Alley, who had been looking after their daughter Ella Bleu Travolta at the time of the birth.
• (April 3, 2000) Her second child with John Travolta, daughter Ella Bleu Travolta was born, weighing in at 4.08 kilos (nine pounds).
• (November 23, 2010) Gave birth to her son Benjamin Hunter Kaleo Travolta, with husband John Travolta, three days early via Caesarean section in a Florida hospital, weighing in at 8 lbs 3 oz.
• Eldest son Jett Travolta passed away on January 2, 2009 of a seizure as a result of Kawasaki Syndrome. He reportedly hit his head in the family’s bathtub in their home in the Bahamas.

• After her child Jett was diagnosed with “Kawasaki’s Syndrome”, an illness affecting children, which resulted in severe allergies and asthma attacks, Kelly worked tirelessly on behalf of CHEC, the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition, a national non-profit organization dedicated to educating parents about environmental toxins that can affect children’s health and informing them of the many potential health hazards in the environment. Olivia Newton-John is also a CHEC board member.
• Kelly was actively involved in education, drug reform and many charitable organizations. She was acknowledged with numerous awards as a result of her work.
• She was of English, Irish, German, Scottish, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, Native Hawaiian, Swiss-German, Breton, Dutch, Swedish, French Huguenot, and Welsh descent.
• For Jerry Maguire, Kelly practiced her punches with legendary boxer Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini.
• In Sky High (2005), while Kurt Russell’s suit had a cooling system, a tube where iced water circulated, Kelly Preston’s didn’t, because it was so tight.

• Kelly graduated from Punahou High School in Hawaii along with fellow alumni, President Barack Obama.
• Her final red carpet appearance came at the New York City premiere of her husband’s motion picture Gotti in 2018.
• Off the rails (2021), Last film of Kelly Preston before her death on July 12, 2020 after a two years battling with breast cancer. The movie is dedicated to her with a “For Kelly” prior to the ending credits.
• On July 12, 2020, Preston passed away at the age of 57 in Clearwater, Florida, two years after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Her diagnosis was not widely publicized. Preston had been receiving treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; she had also been treated at other medical centers. Her death was announced in an Instagram post under an account belonging to John Travolta and Ella Bleu.
• Kelly Preston passed away three months away from her 58th birthday on October 13. Upon her death, she was cremated and her ashes returned to her family.

Kelly Preston may be gone, but she’s never forgotten. In honor of Kelly its a good idea to get checked. It’s unclear what stage Preston’s breast cancer was in at the time of her passing, but it’s well known that early detection is key when it comes to treating breast cancer successfully. Mammograms are the best tools in catching breast cancer early. General guidelines say that women should start screening annually at the age of 45, and continue until 54, but there are exceptions for specific groups of women. For the women who fall under the “high risk” category, which includes women who have had a first-degree relative with breast cancer, the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, or experienced radiation on their chest, experts suggest going to annual mammogram as early as 30. If you’re unclear about your family history, then you may consider genetic testing to determine if you have any gene mutations.

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading today’s post, I hope you all have a lovely week and it manages to warm up a bit so you can enjoy the sunshine! But for now, I shall bid you Adieu.