Olivia and Chloe in Paris
Translation from Dutch
Brave Olivia Newton-John: "I Learned To Cry From My Little Daughter"
Olivia Newton-John, who was diagnosed with breast cancer twice in the past three years, has been declared definitively cured after a long course of treatment. The Australian-born singer shares how she overcame her illness and the role her daughter Chle played in it.
Fifteen years after she became a star as Sandy in the film ‘Grease’, Olivia Newton-John’s world collapsed. A malignant tumor was discovered in her left breast, and the doctors could offer her little hope. For over a year and a half, the singer of “Let’s Get Physical,” “Xanadu,” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You” was under treatment—a breast-conserving surgery, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. But after a year, the cancer returned, and she had to undergo the arduous treatments again.
However, a few months ago, she was declared definitively cured. In the final months of her recovery, she worked on ‘Gaia’ at her ranch in the American state of California, the album she wrote, composed, and produced herself, which should be seen as an ode to womanhood.
Olivia: “In Greek mythology, Gaia is the goddess of the earth. She represents motherhood, femininity, and life. And those are the most important points of my life.”
The CD, which has been in stores for a few weeks, is dedicated to her daughter Chloe, born in 1986.
Friend
“She is turning ten, but I no longer see her as a child. She has become a friend with whom I can share everything. When I was sick, I learned so much from her. Children possess so much wisdom because they view everything with childlike simplicity. Adults often make things difficult for themselves by wanting to take everything and everyone into account.”
“When I was in pain, I wanted to appear good and strong for Chloe. I thought she wouldn’t understand and that she would worry about me. I was afraid that she would suffer even more from my illness than I did. But she actually dealt with it in a mature way. “
“When I told her about the tumor, she asked: ‘Has it always been there?’ I said no, and then her reaction was: ‘Well, then it can go away again.’ “
“She also taught me to cry. A child expects tears when you are in pain. And when I said I was in pain, she said: ‘Why don’t you cry then?’ Yes, why not, actually. And then the tears came. We sat there crying together for a bit, and at one point we even had to laugh about it. That was a relief.”
“Death is an abstract concept for children. Adults are afraid of it and find it harder to cope with. Although I naturally prepared Chloe for the possibility that I might not survive, she didn’t worry, because she simply trusted that everything would be alright. And she was right.”
Because she was unable to do much with her during her illness, Olivia took her daughter along on her world tour to promote her new CD. She was given time off from school immediately.
“In America, they think it’s wonderful when a child gets the chance to see the world, and they don’t make a fuss about granting time off. And during the trips, Chloe probably learns even more than she did in the classroom. We are having a great time together. We go on lots of outings and have a blast.”
“We enjoy each other more and more consciously, because we both realize that things could have turned out very differently.”