The actor and singer shared in 2020 that her first mammogram didn’t detect breast cancer and how it served as an important reminder to trust your instincts when something doesn’t feel right.
The death of Olivia Newton-John is one that has shocked the world.
The actor died following a long battle with breast cancer on Monday, and her death has resulted in many celebrating her longstanding legacy within cinema but also for her commitment to breast cancer research and awareness over the years.
Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and beat the disease, before being diagnosed again in 2017 with stage 4 breast cancer. But in a 2020 interview, she shared that her initial mammogram didn’t detect breast cancer and urged women to “trust their instincts”.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong. I had a mammogram and the mammogram was benign and then I had a needle biopsy that was also benign,” Newton-John said in the interview with Prevention Magazine. “And I don’t say this to scare women, but you just have to trust your instincts.”
“I felt something was wrong, and when I was with my surgeon, we decided that he would do a surgical biopsy,” she said. A surgical biopsy is described as a procedure that involves an incision in the skin to access the suspicious area of cells.
After the procedure, Newton-John’s doctor shared that she had cancer in her right breast and that it would need to be removed.
Following her initial diagnosis, the Physical singer was vocal about her cancer journey and dedicated her life to supporting cancer patients and survivors.
She raised money over the years and opened the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in Australia in 2015, a partnership between a local hospital and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute.
Her death has sparked a conversation around breast cancer awareness on social media, with many sharing the joy Newton-John brought to the world and her important role in promoting breast cancer awareness to the masses.
“It’s incredibly sad about Dame Olivia Newton-John,” tweeted one user. “The amount she did to bring awareness of Breast Cancer was incredible! Thank you and rest in peace Dame Olivia.”
Another said: “For those of us affected by the insidious disease of breast cancer – as patients, survivors or loved ones – Olivia Newton-John is heroic. She used her platform to raise awareness and showed us how to LIVE even during tremendous suffering.”
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