Olivia Newton John is battling breast cancer for the third time in her life after her initial diagnosis in 1992. Two years ago, when the Grease star was 69, she learned that her breast cancer had returned, this time at stage 4.
In an interview on CBS, Olivia admitted that the pain can be horrific at times: "Crying kind of pain. Tears pain," she said. Stage 4 breast cancer, also known as metastatic breast cancer, spreads to other areas of the body and decreases the survival rate to about 34 percent.
But the 71-year-old actress said that she doesn't discuss survival rate with her doctor. "Prognosis? I don't discuss prognosis," she said. "Because, in my opinion, if they give you a percentage or, you know, 'This many women get this and they live this long,' you can create that and make it happen. It's almost like, I think I know what the statistics are. But I put them away. I'm gonna live longer than that. I've made that decision."
When Olivia first learned of her diagnosis, she tried not to think about it. "Denial is really good!" she said. "It's really healthy! But it was consuming my day."
"After a time, I went, 'You know what? I don't know what my time is, but I need to enjoy my life," she continued. "So, I'm going to eat a cookie if I want it. And I'm gonna have a cup of tea if I want it. And if I wanna have a little bit of wine, I'm gonna do that.' Because the joy of life and everyday living has to be a part of that healing process as well."
Despite her diagnosis, Olivia never victimises herself or questions her situation. "Why me? has never been a part of it," she said. "I never felt victimised. I never felt, 'Why not?' Maybe deep down I knew there was a reason or a purpose for it. Or maybe I needed to create one to make it okay for myself. Because, again, it's a decision - How am I gonna deal with it? You choose."
Today, the Grease star avoids thinking about death. "You have to think about it. I mean, it's part of life," she said. "And, of course, if you have a cancer diagnosis, your death is kind of there. Whereas most people, we don't have a clue when we're gonna die. And I could die tomorrow - tree could fall on me. So, it's just that we have that knowledge that we could die."
"But I try not to think about it too much," she said. "I try to mediate and be peaceful about it, and know that everyone I love is there, so there's something to look forward to."
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