"I feel so fortunate and grateful to be a survivor of Breast Cancer. I see it as a gift," says Olivia Newton-John about  her struggle with cancer. "I know it sounds strange. But I don’t think I would have grown without that experience."

I used to be really afraid of dying," said Olivia Newton-John. "It was a fear that was always there, at the bottom of everything. I was afraid of getting old. I was afraid of a lot of things." 

In 1992, just as the Australian singer was about to embark on a U.S. tour, her first in 10 years-Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer. She learned the results of a biopsy the day that her father passed away. She felt the public announcement would stave off any wild speculations and deny the national "rag mags" the opportunity to grind the rumour mill. The revelation came just as Olivia was about to embark on a national promotional tour to tie into the recent release "Back to Basics: The Essential Collection," an ensemble of greatest hits marked to commemorate her 21 years in the business. She cancelled the tour and underwent a partial radical mastectomy and eight months of chemotherapy. Olivia Newton-John successfully overcame breast cancer, and at the same time became a single working mother. She used her experiences to gain greater self-awareness and became an inspiration to millions of people battling cancer. She continues to give back to the community generously and has been acknowledged by many charitable organizations for her contributions. Most recently, the American Red Cross named her Woman of the Year. 

The bombshell came on July 2 - Olivia Newton-John had breast cancer. She was taken to hospital and operated on, and then had to undergo a period of chemotherapy. In February the next year she got the all-clear, and went to Australia to recuperate.

Olivia chose to talk about her experiences with breast cancer, so that other women in a similar position could see that survival was possible, and early detection was important.

After recovering, Olivia has continuously supported breast cancer awareness charities.  In the 21st century Olivia is helping raise funds to build a cancer support centre in Melbourne, Australia, which will be named after her.  Olivia has chosen to talk about her experiences with breast cancer, so that other women in a similar position can see that survival is possible, and early detection is important.