She's had a long and hard journey with cancer and now after battling it for the third time, things seem to be looking up for her.
Olivia Newton-John stole hearts with her role as Sandy Olsson in the blockbuster movie, Grease. But recently, she's been winning people over with more than just her beauty and her charm. It's her courage and determination to fight cancer for the third time that truly has others cheering for her. And she's back with an update; this time it's a positive one. However, in order to understand just how much it has taken out of her to get this far, it's important to know the start of her journey.
Newton-John's first brush with the disease was in 1992 when she was told she has breast cancer. While she managed to ward that off, she was diagnosed for a second time when a lump was found in her shoulder in 2013 after a car accident. Once again, she managed to win the battle against it until 2017 when she was diagnosed for a third time with stage four breast cancer. Essentially, she's been fighting this war for more than two decades.
Speaking to USA Today, she said, “My cancer journey started in 1992, and I went through surgery and chemotherapy. I was very lucky enough to have yoga and massage and homeopathy and meditation, and then I had a spell of years where I was OK. And then I have metastases now.”
The 71-year-old actress and singer revealed that this time, she is not concerned over how many more years she has to live, according to her interview with 60 Minutes Australia. "You have to think about it. I mean, it's part of life," Newton-John told CBS News. "And, of course, if you have a cancer diagnosis, your death is kind of there. Whereas most people, we don't have a clue when we're gonna die. And I could die tomorrow; a tree could fall on me. So, it's just that we have that knowledge that we could die. But I'm not – I try not to think about it too much."
The mother-of-one claimed that despite her grim future prospects, she still wanted to be positive about it. "I try to meditate and be peaceful about it, and know that everyone I love is there, so there's something to look forward to," she added.
Her Grease co-star and actor John Travolta also told Entertainment Tonight at an event, “She looks incredible. She doesn’t look any different than [she did] years ago, and I’m very proud of her." Smiling, he added, "I'm very happy about Olivia."
When she had revealed her third diagnosis in 2018, she told the Australian show Sunday Night, "I believe I will win over it ... that's my goal." The You're The One That I Want singer even used her journey as a way to start a cancer and wellness institute to help raise awareness and resources to help those struggling with the disease. "I'm one of millions in this fight, in this journey," Newton-John explained. "A lot of people see it as a fight and wherever you choose to see it, that’s your prerogative ... I see it as part of my mission, maybe."
Recently, the Xanadu actress revealed to ET Canada, “I was sick earlier in the year, I’m doing great now." "I felt a lot of love from people and a lot of prayers and they help, they really do work," she added.
When being interviewed on CBS’ The Talk on October 30, 2019, she said, “I am feeling fantastic. I went to the oncologist yesterday and things are shrinking and going away. So, it’s the perfect week.”
Well, it looks like she truly is getting closer to her goal of "winning over it." Here's to Newton-John for keeping her positivity up and fighting the battle!
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJtPgpedcFo
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/preview-olivia-newton-john-opens-up-about-her-breast-cancer-battle/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=300&v=4HhcbZEzZnM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-6zCAQyrzo
https://www.onjcancercentre.org/
https://bestclassicbands.com/olivia-newton-john-auction-11-3-19/
https://people.com/health/olivia-newton-john-breast-cancer-diagnosis-grease-costume/
