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How Dolly Parton became a healthcare hero after 40DD 'Virginia Twins' surgery, Covid-19 aid and cancer fight

The country music icon was hailed as a 'savior' when she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University, for coronavirus vaccine research and development

Dolly Parton is used to being a musical inspiration, but let's face it the iconic singer is as famous for her looks, as she is for her incredible voice. So it took a lot of courage for Dolly to tweak her trademark look. A large part of this trademark look was Dolly's 40DD 'Virginia Twins'. But after 30 years of crippling back pain, Dolly Parton finally had her 40DD breasts reduced in 2004, a move that went onto inspire millions of others that beauty is not pain. Dolly certainly knows a thing or two about suffering for the sake of beauty. The singer has been open about her several plastic surgeries. Besides breast augmentation and breast implants, she's also had a brow lift, surgery on her eyelids, a nose job, and her chin has been operated on.

Dolly Parton has always made it clear, that she felt she needed to maintain a certain image for her fans, which is why she paid so much attention to maintaining her looks. But it seems that all along Dolly's inner beauty and generosity is what has impressed fans the most. Off late, Dolly Parton has turned into a healthcare hero as well, with her contributions to the fight against Covid. The country music icon was hailed as a "savior" when she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University, for coronavirus vaccine research and development. Her donation is believed to have helped researchers conduct trial phases, that led to the development of the Moderna vaccine. Dolly has also been urging her considerable star power, to encourage people to wear masks and of course to get vaccinated as well. Parton herself recently received the second dose of her vaccination and has even done a new version of her iconic song 'Jolene' replacing Jolene with Vaccine! But long before Dolly was a vocal warrior for Covid, she was helping cancer survivors overcome lows in their lives, raising funds for childrens hospitals and had also joined the battle against childhood diabetes. 

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At a benefit concert in May 2007, Parton raised money for the LeConte Medical Center, a hospital and cancer center in Sevier County, Tennessee. In addition to the $500,000 raised at the concert, both Dollywood and Parton’s Dixie Stampede dinner theater each pledged $250,000 to the project, bringing the total amount of funds raised to $1 million. The hospital opened in 2010 and named its women’s health ward after Parton. But it wasn't just with her considerable financial clout, that Dolly helped the fight against Cancer. In some cases, she helped by just inspiring cancer groups with her classics. In 2016, a cancer group called 'The Dolly Dolls' organized a Bodacious Bras challenge, a name that we think Dolly would approve of, to raise funds for breast cancer research.

Here's a look at the post from these hardcore Dolly fans on GoFund Me.

"We all know Dolly Parton’s signature style and music. Her songs have captured our hearts for generations. We drew inspiration from these memorable songs.
Piece by piece, donation by donation, we can make a difference for those in need. As a “box full of different rags” can turn into a beautiful Coat of Many Colors, so can our contributions turn into something wonderful. It’s going to take more than working 9-5 to come up with a cure for breast cancer. Researchers are working round the clock to find a cure for cancer. Let’s pull together and donate what we can to support breast cancer research and treatment."

The country music sensation has always been open about the fact that she has not had an easy life, but yet at the age of 75 shows no signs of slowing down, or losing her joie de vivre.

But it's not just Cancer and Covid, that Parton has lent her generosity to. Parton has also contributed significantly to the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes and also donated $1 million  to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital. Parton’s gift was made in honor of her niece, who was treated for leukemia at the hospital. Besides this Parton has also contributed to a number of causes from helping veterans with PTSD, encouraging literacy with her 'Imagination Library' project, a program that distributes books to children across the globe, free of charge, from birth until they begin their first year of school and of course speaking out on a number of issues such as 'Black Lives Matter' and Transgender rights.

Ultimately it seems that whatever ails society, there's nothing like a dose of Dolly to help the pain go away even if only for a few minutes.