Olivia's new lease on life
OLIVIA Newton-John has revealed her cancer tumours have shrunk as she readies for a return to the stage.
The 71-year-old, whose breast cancer returned and spread to her lower back three years ago, has credited the use of medicinal cannabis and natural therapies for the dramatic turnaround.
“When people hear metastatic breast cancer or cancer there’s still this stigma that people don’t believe that you can recover, well you can,” Newton-John said. “There are ways. I know lots of people who have been given really terrible diagnoses who have done really well with the right treatment and they’re not always chemo and radiation either.”
Newton-John — made a Dame late last year — is returning to the stage for the first time since cancelling all touring plans after her diagnosis. She will sing a duet with John Farnham at the Fire Fight Australia bushfire charity concert in Sydney on February 16. “I’ll probably be a bit nervous, it’s been a while,’’ she said.
The beloved singer revealed the famous Grease jacket she auctioned last November for her Melbourne wellness centre would now be displayed there after the successful bidder — a tech billionaire who paid more than $350,000 — returned it. “He said to me: Sometimes in life there’s things that belong to people. This shouldn’t be hanging in a billionaires’ closet. Therefore I’m giving it back to you,’’ Newton-John said.
“He wants to be anonymous at the moment so I can’t even say his name but he wants me to put it in the Wellness Centre for people to enjoy.” Newton-John plans to continue her work lobbying the Federal Government to legalise cannabis for medicinal use.
Her Cancer and Wellness Centre will launch trials of medicinal cannabis this year. “I’d love patients in Australia to have the capability of getting it when they need it,’’ Newton-John said. “Hopefully those studies will help with the Government that seems to be a long way behind the rest of the world, well at least America. “It’s been so incredible for me.
“If I hadn’t had the experience I’m having with cannabis I wouldn’t be able to talk about it.My tumours are receding or they’re going away or they’re staying the same, on a Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer – that’s pretty amazing. So I’m advocating for it and we’re helping a lot of people with it. For me the proof is in the pudding, and I’m the pudding.” “ “I believe a holistic combination of using everything that is available is the way to go for me.”