One of the reasons we use the phrase "cancer journey" is that, for many people, cancer is far more than a "one-and-done" experience. Cancer journeys can span many years, and they can have their ups and their downs. Doctors may declare your cancer "gone" only to find it reemerge years later, having spread somewhere else in your body. Every cancer journey is different, and every one of those journeys is challenging in its own right.
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Read MoreNewton-John overcame the cancer again, only to see the same happen again in 2017, when her doctors discovered a tumor at the bottom of her spineanother cancer metastasis.
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The tumor in her sacrum left Newton-John with a fractured hip, which took over six months to heal. She has since been treated with a combination of conventional therapy, diet, and using marijuana to alleviate cancer-related pain and depression.
This past winter, as Newton-John, who is now 70 years old, kept to herself, rumors began to circulate in tabloids that the star was "near death," if not already dead. But Newton-John debunked those rumors in March, when she spoke to People.
"Those things are so stupid," Newton-John said of the tabloid rumors. "Why not just go, 'Here I am, and I'm fine!"
Now, a recent sighting shows that Newton-John is doing alright and is well enough to be out and about. Last week, she was spotted grocery shopping with her 33-year-old daughter, Chloe Lattanzi. The actress, who was wearing a comfortable-looking half-zip sweatshirt and athletic sneakers, also wore a wide smile in one of the photographs snapped of her during the outing. She seemed happy just to be enjoying the little things: spending time with her only daughter.
The optimistic expression is in keeping with Newton-John's recent statements on her cancer journey. In March, she released a memoir, called "Don't Stop Believin'," at which time she told a British interviewer, "I want to be part of finding a cure for cancer. Is It truly within our grasp? You have to believe that."
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As Newton-John continues to embrace the pleasures of daily life and the company of her family, she and her husband, John Easterling, have chosen to “keep it simple” financially. The couple recently put two of their houses on the market following the third cancer diagnosis (one a ranch in Australia, the other a home in Santa Ynez, California).
Newton-John’s Medical Marijuana Use
Newton-John has been open about her choice to use medical marijuana, which her husband legally grows at their California home.
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The choice is one that many experts have told SurvivorNet they supportso long as people are not using marijuana instead of conventional treatment for their cancer.
When it's used in moderation, and when patients keep their doctor in the loop about it, marijuana can be helpful in alleviating pain and stress during a difficult cancer journey.
"I have no problem with patients getting marijuana from a reputable, licensed source as long as patients are open with their physician about what they're taking, and making sure it doesn't interact with any clinical trial drug that they're taking or any standard therapy," Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a medical advisor to SurvivorNet, previously told us in a conversation about the benefits and limitations of medical marijuana (Dr. Comen was not discussing Newton John's case.)
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