This is heartbreaking news.
A cancer diagnosis is never good news. Almost every family has gone through the pain of learning that one of their own has this often terminal disease. We’ve all read about various famous people who’ve been diagnosed.
Unfortunately, today, we learned about one more.
Olivia Newton-John is an absolute legend. She’s supremely talented as a singer and actress. an icon to many members of the LGBT community.
She’s also now a cancer patient.
She issued a press release on the subject. It’s not the most personal way to share information, but sometimes being straightforward and informative is the best route to take when breaking bad news.
And this is the worst kind of news to break.
Sometimes, impersonal is best.
Olivia Newton-John had to cancel her North American concert dates for June, but this is one set of cancelations that no decent person could bemoan.
Apparently they discovered the cancer because she had complained of back pain. Frightening to think that something so innocuous could be how you learn that you have cancer.
Specifically, it’s breast cancer that’s metastasized to her sacrum.
It’s also a reminder that even the healthiest people can get cancer.
A lot of people push the idea that overall wellness can prevent cancer, but disease can come from all sorts of sources, and genetics are a powerful factor when it comes to cancer.
Yoga teachers get cancer. Nutritionists get cancer. Marathon runners get cancer.
Living legends do, too.
Fortunately, there are treatments. Olivia Newton-John intends to undergo a short treatment of photon radiation therapy.
From her press release, she sounds optimistic. That can be so important for cancer patients.
And there’s reason to hope. Shannen Doherty recently announced that her cancer had gone into remission.
Still, her fans from all over the world will be wishing her a swift and easy recovery. Cancer’s hard, and the life-saving treatment can be even more painful.
If you’ll excuse us, we’ll be listening to “Xanadu” and hoping for the best.
