Cancer remains one of the most terrifying diseases in the world today. Its various forms make it extremely difficult to find cures. The havoc they can wreak in not only a patient’s life but those of the people around them can be incalculable. This is doubly so when the said person with cancer is a celebrity. A recent example would be Australian actor Hugh Jackman, aka Wolverine, who has been battling skin cancer in the past months.
But the latest news comes regarding his fellow big-name Australian export, Olivia Newton-John. Word is, she has cancer again after being free of it for years.
Back with a vengeance
Olivia Newton-John announced this Monday May 29 that she has had to call off some of her scheduled tour concerts in both the U.S. and Canada due to an onset of severe back pains, symptoms of her resurgent breast cancer which has metastasized into her lower back. The most significantly affected part is the sacrum, or triangular bone between her two hip bones. Newton-John is using the time she would have spent touring undergoing medical treatment, which for her is a blend of “natural wellness therapy” and a few rounds of photon radiation.
It should be recalled that the Australian diva and actress was struggling with breast cancer for the better part of the 1990s, though she managed to score a remission and return to a relatively active celebrity schedule. The experience also made Newton-John a prominent stalwart for cancer awareness and advocacy, which has since become synonymous with her singing and acting careers.
Now, however, it seems her old adversary has forced a rematch and has taken her off-guard. Her daughter Chloe Lattanzi has thanked the public and her mother’s fans for their support, asking them to pray that Newton-John’s condition will improve. Inside sources have it that the Australian star has had trouble getting out of bed.
Tour to be rescheduled
Olivia Newton-John rocketed to singing stardom in 1971, starting with her cover of Bob Dylan’s “If Not For You.” From there she branched out into acting, most prominently with John Travolta in the 1978 musical film “Grease.” Newton-John also became a TV host and personality in her native Australia. Her family has had something of a history with the Big C; her sister Rona succumbed to brain cancer in 2013.
Newton-John’s publicist Michael Caprio announced that any ticket buyers for the singer’s now cancelled concerts will be able to directly inquire at the respective venues about getting refunds. New dates for when Newton-John may resume her tour will be posted at her official website of OliviaNewton-John.com sometime in the coming weeks.