Finding reasons to laugh

Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John (pictured with John Travolta) had her right breast removed and reconstructed in 1992, yet says she never felt sorry for herself. “I felt ‘Why not me?’ not ‘Why me?”” she explains. Since undergoing chemo, she’s been given a clean bill of health.

“Doctors never say you’re clear,” she points out. “I don’t like that word at all because it has the connotation that cancer is still lurking in me somewhere. My cancer is gone.”

Olivia, 55, credits a positive attitude as well as the support of family, friends and other women with breast cancer.

“The first days were the most scary,” she says. “Laughter was my respite. Of course, at night, by myself, I was frightened, but I [decided] that I wasn’t going to give in to it. It makes me so proud to be someone who can inspire people.”

Stars speak out

Olivia Newton-John is one of many stars who have contributed their voices to a Celebrity Talking Dictionary explaining 500 breast cancer diagnosis and treatment terms. Now you can understand what your doctor is saying when they start speaking medical-ese! Other celebrity speakers include Kelly Ripa, Courteney Cox and Katie Couric. See breastcancer.org.