‘80s Pop Singer Taylor Dayne, 62, Joins ‘90s Boy Bands NSYNC and Backstreet Boys In Unexpected Performance – Thriving in Life After Tough Cancer Battle
‘80s Pop Singer Taylor Dayne, 62, Joins ‘90s Boy Bands NSYNC and Backstreet Boys In Unexpected Performance – Thriving in Life After Tough Cancer Battle
‘80s pop singer Taylor Dayne, 62, continues to thrive after beating colon cancer a couple of years ago. She’s still actively performing, including one-off appearances with ‘90s boy bands NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.
Following her 2022 cancer diagnosis, Dayne had ten inches of her colon removed for treatment and overcame an infection following colon cancer surgery. She says, though the recovery was slow and painful, she came back “a fighter.”
Life after cancer for survivors can be a multifaceted journey that can vary based on multiple factors, such as the type of cancer they had, their treatment, and personal lifestyle. It can be filled with a wide range of feelings, including relief, gratitude, fear of recurrence, anxiety, depression, and general uncertainty about the future.
Colon cancer symptoms will most notably impact your bowel habits. If you notice a change in your bowel habits or changes in your stool, talk to your doctor. Other symptoms, such as abdominal pain and unintentional weight loss, can be harder to pinpoint.
Experts recommend screening begin at age 45; however, screening may start earlier if you are at higher risk. It’s best to discuss your risk of colon cancer and screening time with your doctor.
At 62, singer Taylor Dayne has conquered colon cancer and a grueling recovery marred by a serious infection. Emerging stronger, she returns to the stage, captivating audiences and offering inspiration to those navigating similar adversities.
Recently, the Grammy-nominated artist revealed elements of her life after cancer. Although she’s in the midst of her “Love Me Tour,” she got to rock with her favorite boy bands from the ‘90s.
“We had a blast last night. Thank you forever, boys,” Dayne captioned a post.
After watching NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys perform from the audience, Dayne was invited onstage to sing her iconic hit “Tell It to My Heart” with NSYNC and Backstreet Boys band members.
Fans showered Dayne for her energetic performance.
“Seriously, Taylor! You don’t age, and you sound so amazing! I’ve been a fan since the beginning,” Instagram user Steve Kenzie wrote. Dayne graciously responded with a prayer emoji.
“Awesome!!! How fun!! I love how you come out to the crowd!!! Just awesome!!” Instagram user Lisa Bonaventura commented.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 23: Taylor Dayne performing onstage during Project Angel Food’s Lead with Love 3 – a Fundraising Special on KTLA on July 23, 2022, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Project Angel Food)
Life after cancer for survivors can be a multifaceted journey that can vary based on multiple factors, such as the type of cancer they had, their treatment, and personal lifestyle. Sometimes, after battling cancer, the side effects of treatment can linger for months to years after the final treatment. Another facet of life after cancer is that survivors must often continue follow-up appointments or take medications to minimize the risk of recurrence.
While we’ve touched on a handful of physical aspects of life after cancer, survivors also must cope emotionally. Life after cancer can be filled with a wide range of feelings, including relief, gratitude, fear of recurrence, anxiety, depression, and general uncertainty about the future. Adjusting to the “new normal” also takes time.
As for Dayne, the popular singer managed to get back to what brings her joy: focusing on her music and performing.
When Dayne, a mother of two, is asked about her cancer journey, she often begins with a sense of gratitude her cancer was caught early.
Dayne’s career skyrocketed in 1987 when her hit single “Tell It to My Heart” hit the airwaves. Her memorable music video was filled with staples of the 1980s, including choreographed dance moves, leather, and big hair. Other hits Dayne is best known for include “Prove Your Love” and “I’ll Always Love You.” She also dipped her toes into acting with the television series “Rude Awakening.”
Her cancer journey began in the summer of 2022 when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Colon or colorectal cancer affects your large intestine (colon) or the end of your intestine (rectum). Her cancer was discovered following a routine colonoscopy.
“I develop polyps, so I had been getting them checked every six months,” Dayne told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“During one of those times, they found a very aggressive polyp,” she further explained.
A colonoscopy is a procedure doctors use to screen for colon cancer by looking inside your colon.
WATCH: Understanding a colonoscopy
This procedure requires your colon to be “cleaned out.” To clear out your colon, your doctor will prescribe a “bowel prep,” a liquid you drink the night before the procedure. The prep acts as a laxative that causes you to have multiple loose stools before your procedure.
Once your colon is cleared out, the gastroenterologist performing the procedure can have a clear look to evaluate if any polyps or masses are present.
Depending on the size and number of polyps found, it is recommended that patients undergo a repeat colonoscopy within three to five years.
Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal cancer surgeon and Director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, previously explained the colonoscopy procedure to SurvivorNet.
“When we see a polyp, we actually physically take the polyp out through the colonoscope,” he explained.
“What does that mean? That means we basically put a wire through with a little bit of a little flange at the end, and we pull the polyp out. Now, note that there is no pain with that. Inside the colon, there are no pain fibers, so there’s no pain,” Dr. Murrell added.
The advantage of a colonoscopy is that your doctor can remove any polyps found during the test. Many colon cancers can be caught on colonoscopy before they develop or when the polyps are small enough to be removed without surgery.
UNSPECIFIED – CIRCA 1970: Photo of Taylor Dayne Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Dayne said during a “Good Morning America” interview when her doctor told her she had cancer, it was difficult to process.
“I didn’t take it in,” Dayne said.
When you’re diagnosed with cancer, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed with emotions. According to psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik, cancer patients’ emotions can range from anger to sadness and fear in a short span of time.
“The patient or person going through the stressful event should accept that emotions will be fluid. You may feel fine one day and then feel a massive wave of stress the next. It’s also important for those you look to for support, whether that’s a therapist, friends, and family, or both, to understand the fluidity of stress-related emotions,” Dr. Plutchik said.
Dayne revealed as a child, she spent a lot of time in the hospital, so she learned to take good care of herself as she grew older. She regularly receives colonoscopies after her doctors previously found benign polyps during previous colonoscopies.
Dayne says upon her diagnosis, her doctor “never even said the stage” but stressed that the cancer was detected early.
She treated her colon cancer by getting surgery, which removed 10 inches of her colon.
She told ABC News that after the procedure, she was declared “cancer-free.”
As the ‘80s singer was recovering from her surgery, she suffered an infection.
“I was pretty much gutted right down the center. Then I had an infection. When you’re cut open, that can happen. I had issues around my spleen and pancreas. My recovery was slow. I just had to find the right antibiotics to cut the cancer out. I was very sick,” Dayne admitted.
She did not need chemotherapy, which involves cancer-killing drugs, or radiation therapy, which involves using high-energy beams such as X-rays aimed at cancer cells, hoping to kill them.
“I came back a fighter. I had ketamine treatments (which treat depression, anxiety, and PTSD). My body was so traumatized. I was in so much pain for so many months. I feel bad for people who are much older than me who can’t get through this,” Dayne said.
After recovering, Dayne says she’s more mindful about what she eats, adding, “I need stamina so I can be me on stage.”
Understanding Colon Cancer
Colon cancer is among the more common cancers impacting men and women in the U.S., but it’s also very treatable and curable if caught early. The cancer starts when abnormal lumps called polyps grow in the colon or rectum. These polyps can sometimes develop into cancer if you don’t have them removed. It takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become full-blown cancer, according to SurvivorNet experts.
Most colon cancers can be prevented if people are regularly screened. The American Gastrointestinal Association lowered the recommended initial age for a colorectal screening from 50 to 45. However, experts recommend screening earlier for some people who may be at an increased risk of developing colon cancer.
WATCH: Colon cancer symptoms.
The most poignant signature of colon cancer is a change in bowel habits. Changes in the size or shape of bowel movements may cause constipation or diarrhea. A change in stool color, mainly black or tarry stools, can indicate bleeding from a tumor deep in the colon.
Other symptoms can be harder to pinpoint, such as abdominal pain and unintentional weight loss. Finally, some tumors bleed a small amount over a long period of time, resulting in anemia (low red blood cell count) that is picked up on blood work.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you are facing a colon cancer diagnosis, here are some questions you may ask your doctor.
What are my treatment options based on my diagnosis?
If I’m worried about managing the costs of cancer care, who can help me?
What support services are available to me? To my family?
Could this treatment affect my sex life? If so, how and for how long?
What are the risks and possible side effects of treatment?
