Miley Cyrus and mom Tish boost cancer awareness

When it comes to talking to your kids and teens about cancer, you can never start too young, says Tish Cyrus, 43, mom to superstar Miley.

"My dad passed away when I was 19 from throat cancer, and later my grandmother from ovarian cancer. That really affected me in a huge way," Cyrus says.

That's especially true when it comes to women and cancer. "It's scary when you have girls, and you hear how many women of all ages, including the young, are affected by cancer every year." The American Cancer Society says more than 290,000 women in the USA are diagnosed with breast and gynecologic cancers every year; more than 67,000 die from them.

"I've been very open with my girls (Brandi, 23, Miley, 17, and Noah, 10) on how cancer doesn't just happen when you're 50," Cyrus says. She and Miley teamed up with City of Hope's "All In Week" last week to raise awareness among mothers and young women. Cyrus talks about their work.

Q: When did you and Miley first get involved with City of Hope?

A: Children's cancer was something that Miley was really passionate about. It's so devastating to see how many people are affected by cancer every year. One of the first things Miley did with City of Hope was to team up with Disney on The Concert for Hope at the Gibson Amphitheatre (at Universal City, Calif.) with the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. For each ticket sold, $1 was given to City of Hope. I believe she raised over $1 million.

Q: Miley has also been involved in encouraging other young adults. Why?

A: A lot of kids think: "Oh, I'm so young. There is nothing I can do to make a difference." Miley has always believed that if we all do something small, you can make a huge difference. When visiting a children's hospital at home in Tennessee or being involved with City of Hope, it's about getting out to spread that message. Also, teens can make a difference by setting an example for young kids. That's been the case with our youngest, Noah, who's 10. She looks up to Brandi and Miley and the work they do. She's planning to go to Haiti for a mission trip.

Q: How can parents educate kids and teens about good health practices?

A: It has a lot to do with how much time you spend with your kids. I try to encourage good nutrition and exercise habits by example. With Miley, many weekend nights we stay home and do fitness videos together. We also ride bikes, and Brandi and I hike with the dogs. It's also huge to talk about nutrition. I caught Noah trying to order pizza at 10 p.m. last night, so we talked about nutrition and how it's important to have balance.

Q: Who most inspires Miley to make a difference?

A: Her dad (Billy Ray). In the early '90s when he was touring, we'd do 290 shows in 350 days, and I never remember one when he didn't spend time with special-needs kids, meeting them after the show.

He'd also give all the gifts he'd been given at each show to local children's hospitals, even if he had to drop them off at midnight. Miley was just a little girl then, but those things she remembers.