Barbra Streisand Exceeds Goal, Donates $22mil to Cedars Sinai

Legendary singer, Barbra Streisand, set an ambitious goal for himself. She set out to raise $20 million for a regenerative medicine research fund at Cedars Sinai hospital, in an effort to fight heart disease among women. Well, it was announced on Friday that not only did Streisand reach her goal; she exceeded it by $2 million, donating a total of $22 million to the cause.

The cardiovascular program at Cedars Sinai has officially been re-named the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center.

“Barbra has now brought over $22 million to this cause, including her own generous gift of $10 million in matching funds,” said the director of the program, Dr. Noel Bairey-Merz.

Not only did Streisand donate $10 million of her own money, she also dedicated countless hours of time enlisted the help of fellow celebrities and public figures, and hosting charity events.

Streisand received donations from Ralph Lauren, Diane von Furstenberg, Ronald Perelman, Sumner Redstone, Barry Diller, and Irwin Jacobs, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She was also part of an effort that convinced New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, to donate $1 million.

On June 15^th, Streisand held a fundraiser at her private Malibu home, asking attending couple for $100,000 to attend.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Streisand said, "Women need to be educated about female cardiovascular disease, and the medical community must be propelled toward change… Just like with breast cancer, the impetus must come from women themselves striving to become empowered to reduce their risks for heart disease.”

"I consider myself a well-informed person," Streisand said in a recent speech, " but when I heard these facts, I was stunned. Very few people know this. And until recently, almost no one talked about or paid attention to an epidemic that women are dying from throughout the world."

The facts Streisand is referring to are that heart disease is the number one killer in women, with more than 500,000 women dying each year in the United States from a cardiovascular related illness.