The news wasn’t good. “Olivia Newton-John has died.” I didn’t know what to feel. Her first breast cancer (“b.c.) diagnosis came in 1992. She had a recurrence in 2013. And another recurrence in 2017. At age 68, the cancer had spread to her bones and progressed to a stage IV metastasis in her lower back. She postponed half of her concert tours due to her back pain. At age 73, on August 8, 2022, she died in her home in Santa Ynez Valley, California.
I think often about how Olivia passed her spirit on to so many with her music. She was an advocate for b.c. research. So as I stepped out for a walk, I took her with me. Screwing in my ear pods, I pulled up Olivia’s music in my Amazon Music app.
“Summer Nights” makes me smile. It brings me back to the late 70’s, when I was working at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I saw Olivia check in at the front desk. And at one of our Hyatt Employee Talent Shows, I imitated Olivia’s Grease Character Sandy Olson. All dressed up like Sandy, I began lip-sinking her part in “Summer Nights.” My gal pals from housekeeping were my lip-sinking back ups. We had so much fun dressed up. And George Yeomelakis who played Danny Zuko and his back-ups all wore black leather jackets. Another gal did another lip-sink scene to Olivia’s “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and did such a good job. We all had much fun during the rehearsals and performance. Our general manager, John Dixon, and all the employees gave us a stand-up applause.
Ahhh music and memories. But Olivia was more than that. She used her fame and fortune to become a strong spokesperson for breast cancer awareness, research, and holistic health. She was also an activist for environmental and animal rights causes. She established the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Center at the Austin Hospital in Australia, which provides support to people living with and affected by cancer. This center is home to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, which also operates as the La Trobe University School of Cancer Medicine. The Institute undertakes cutting-edge research to develop treatments for breast cancer, bowel cancer, lung cancer, brain cancer, lymphoma and melanoma and works on new cancer discoveries and therapies. Olivia touched so many lives through her philanthropic work and hers on screen and stage performances.
One can certainly say she dedicated her life to improve the lives of many affected by any cancer. And she has passed it on to us to “tell every mother and daughter and father and son. To pass it on.” As I think of Olivia now. Perhaps she was sending her message to us to pass it on “when [we]’ve had [our] fill and [our] turn in done.”
Her “Stronger than Before” CD helped me through my all my breast cancers. The lyrics helped. Her melodic calmness as she sings Serenity eased my anxiety. I remember buying 10 copies and giving them to women who could really use a pick-me-up.
I’ve survived so many things
From broken hearts to shattered dreams
In every wall I’ve found an open door
I’d miss a step, I’d learn to dance
Come back again with half a chance
Stronger than before.
She inspired me to develop a “Stronger than Before” attitude and create a slideshow for my Ribbons of Life family to her upbeat song, “Pass It On”. I hope that we do what we can while following what Olivia taught us–how to leave the world with our own unique and special legacy. And that we pass on our spirits and accomplishments to help the next generations while knowing we had our turn.