Holiday Love from ONJ
- English-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John shared a heartfelt message and video on her Instagram to remind us to be good to each other this season.
- The Grease star has been battling stage 4 breast cancer and always expresses that she does not take one day for granted.
- Most experts recommend to start getting mammograms at age 40 or earlier with a family history. It’s important to talk with your doctor (and family) to get all the facts you need to assess your risk.
“Hi everyone! Olivia here! I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish all a primarily healthy, happy, peaceful Christmas,” the 73-year-old Grease star said, looking healthy and stylish in a denim jacket and leopard-print scarf.
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One of the most important messages in her share is acknowledging everyone’s different beliefs. Religion can be a difficult subject, as many people have vastly different religious backgrounds, but it’s important to always respect each other’s faith, whether or not you agree with them. Furthermore, for people who are strugglingbattling cancer or other diseases sometimes their faith is all they have to get them through difficult days.
‘I Had A Talk With GodAnd I Knew I'd Be Okay’
Olivia’s Cancer Battle
Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. She underwent chemotherapy and had a partial mastectomy (surgical removal of cancerous breast tissue). In 2013, her cancer came back. It was discovered after a car accident. She beat it again.
In 2017, Newton-John's cancer came back for a third time, this time spreading to other parts of her body, so she had radiation therapy to treat it.
Fans were shocked at the tragic news, but the cancer warrior has been thriving and not letting metastatic breast cancer stop her from living life.
In 2018, she said she had to learn to walk again after she fractured the base of her spine due to the spread of her disease. "I was so weak. I had a walker, a cane and crutches.”
Newton-John has been feeling good, reporting in January that her tumors were shrinking, and she is certainly not taking any life moments for granted.
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“I think every day is a blessing,” she told The Guardian last year. “You never know when your time is over; we all have a finite amount of time on this planet, and we just need to be grateful for that."
Screening for Breast Cancer
The American College of Radiology guidelines recommend women get annual mammograms to screen for breast cancer beginning at age 40. Even earlier if you have a family history.
"One of the most frustrating things that I see in my office, and my practice is when a patient … comes in with a huge, golf ball breast cancer that could have probably been diagnosed at an earlier age if they were receiving their annual screening mammogram," says Dr. Senayet Agonafer, a radiologist at Montefiore Medical Center.
If you're unsure about when you should begin screening for breast cancer, Dr. Agonafer recommends talking to your doctor and getting all the facts you need to assess your risk. "You should absolutely be tested for your risk of breast cancer starting at the age of 30," Dr. Agonafer says.
Early detection is the key to having a much higher chance of beating breast cancer and many other types of cancers.
Learn Your Risk and Listen to the Guidelines: An Important Message About Breast Cancer Awareness
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