Remembering Olivia Newton-John: A Beacon of Joy and Strength
Besides being someone who always radiated joy and positivity with her dazzling smile, the late actress and singer Olivia Newton-John was also a brave soul who openly shared her breast cancer journey, helping millions of women understand they are not alone in their fight.
Newton-John first learned of her devastating diagnosis shortly after releasing her third hits collection, Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992. This shocking news put her tour on hold, and within 24 hours, she underwent a partial mastectomy of her right breast.
Although doctors assured her that everything would be fine, Olivia felt uneasy. Knowing that many looked up to her, she decided to go public about her battle. Her openness raised awareness and inspired many. “I draw strength from the millions of women who have faced this challenge successfully,” she said at the time.
Nine months after her surgery and the subsequent treatments, Newton-John became a passionate advocate for breast cancer awareness. She turned to healthy food and invested millions in a “greenhouse” to support her fight against cancer.
“When I was told I had cancer, I kept asking myself, ‘Why?’ All I could think was that the cancer could have been brought about by the environment we’re living in,” Olivia told Sunday Mirror in 1993. “I kept thinking maybe it was the air we were breathing and the water we were drinking in Los Angeles. I felt hemmed in; there are too many people in LA.”
In a 1994 interview with the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Olivia explained that a major part of her healing process was accepting support from family, friends, and fans. “As a woman, it’s sometimes very hard to focus on yourself,” she said. “We’re always focusing on our families, everybody else besides ourselves. We always come last. You know, mother always gets the smallest potato.”
In 2017, Newton-John was told that her cancer had returned and spread to her spine. “I am feeling good and enjoying total support from my family and friends, along with a team of wellness and medical practitioners both here in the U.S. and at my Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia,” she said. It was then that she revealed she also had cancer in 2013.
“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… whatever you want to call it. I see it as part of my mission, maybe,” she said.
Newton-John invested heavily in cancer research through her foundation, The Olivia Newton-John Foundation.
The actress’s niece, Totti Goldsmith, spoke about Newton-John’s final days, saying the family had a hard time watching her health decline. “It’s not a shock, we’ve known how sick she’s been, especially the last five days,” Totti, who lives in Melbourne, told A Current Affair.
She shared that she and her aunt spoke via FaceTime one last time. “I told her all the things I needed to say. She was leaving us… but I could feel she got it,” Totti said.
“It wasn’t just the cancer that got her, it was other complications, being in a hospital with a very susceptible immune system. She got secondary infections,” Totti explained about Newton-John’s struggles during her last days.
“She was really skinny and really unwell, and I said to her, ‘Are you afraid of dying?’” Totti recalled. “She said, ‘Plonker,’ which was my nickname, she said, ‘I’m not, I’m not afraid. I’ve done more in my life than I could have ever imagined.’”
“She honestly never imagined her life would be how it was.”
Olivia Newton-John passed away on August 8. May she rest in peace.
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Love and Peace