Music has always been a healing tool in my life.
~ Olivia Newton-John
By Ginger Brashinger
Despite being graced with beauty, talent, and fame, in 1992 Olivia Newton-John could not escape the devastating blow that far too many women know all too well: the lump she discovered in her breast was cancer.
According to filmmaker and breast cancer survivor Namrata Singh Gujral, in whose film 1 a Minute (1aminute.com) Olivia appears, over one million women a year are diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide.
Olivia’s immediate reaction was to fight for her survival, knowing that her young daughter, Chloe, needed her mother.
And then, Olivia fought for others.
Because the discovery of a lump in her breast was through her own self-examination, something she had been doing regularly for years because of her chronic breast issues, Olivia partnered with world-renowned breast cancer surgeon Dr. Ernie Bodai to create Liv Aid, a potentially life-saving device for women.
“The Liv Aid is a device I created to make regular self-exams easier to do every month,” Olivia explains, aware of the fact that many women struggle with understanding and performing the process of self-examination. “It is not to replace mammograms or your regular doctor’s visits, but it can help you know your own breasts and when there are changes. Most of the time lumps are benign, but it is better to know than not to know.”
But what if the scales tip the other way?
“Attitude is extremely important, during not only the diagnosis but through treatment,” says Olivia. “We are all connected: body, mind, and spirit, and in order to fully heal the whole person, a positive attitude is key to getting through cancer.”
Throughout her own experience, Olivia found sources of strength from her family and friends, especially her mother, Irene Newton-John, who as Olivia says had “always been such a powerful influence for me as she enjoyed the beauty of the world…”
From her childhood roots, Olivia found comfort in her ever-present joy of music. She feels that music has always been a healing tool in her life, and she shared that gift with others following her recovery.
Olivia’s album Grace and Gratitude is an inspirational and moving journey of that rare combination of song and encouragement, the kind of comfort that springs from a kindred spirit—and it doesn’t hurt that she possesses the voice of an angel.
“In my recovery, I became even more aware of the power of music,” she admits. “It can heal the body, calm the mind, and lift the spirit, but above all, it can connect us to our hearts.”
Olivia also found strength and encouragement through her relationship with her husband John Easterling. Long-time friends and more recently lovers (they married in 2008), Olivia and John rediscovered each other in the rainforests of the Amazon several years ago.
“I went to see her in a concert,” says John, who admits to never having seen the movie Grease before marrying Olivia. “She had just done the Grace and Gratitude CD. I just got this resonance that in her soul-space, she’s a healer. I just got this connection that I should introduce her to healers in the Rainforest.”
When they set out into the Amazon with some mutual friends, their fairy tale romance began almost instantly.
“Day two in the Rainforest,” John recalls, “We just fell madly in love. We connected in a magical way.”
Part of the magic of their relationship may be credited to John’s tireless efforts in the arena of health and wellness. He spent years in the Amazon, searching for natural, nutritional products for his Amazon Herb Company. Olivia, one of the company’s most passionate advocates and poster girl for its properties, joins John in his quest to supply the world with real nourishment.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, however, in Olivia’s long list of interests and accolades.
“I am most excited that after almost seven years of fundraising, we have begun construction on the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in my hometown of Melbourne, Australia,” says Olivia.
The girl never rests, certainly not on her laurels. Olivia’s current schedule includes appearing at cancer events in Austria, Berlin, and Budapest, and she plans to partner with the national organization City of Hope as well as perform at an event in October which her nephew Emerson Newton-John created, “Pink and Blue for Two,” for the Lee Moffitt Center. As the evening’s co-host, Olivia will help raise funds to be divided between Moffitt’s center in Tampa and hers in Melbourne.
We asked Olivia when she might feel she has given enough of herself to this cause.
“When cancer is no longer something we have to worry about is when I think I will have done enough,” she says. “We just need to help heal the planet and heal ourselves. I do believe we are on the verge of finding a cure, and until then, we will just keep doing everything we can with my hospital and Liv Aid campaign to help heal the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.”
www.1aminute.com
