If you ask someone who’s been through a cancer diagnosis what it was that helped them find strength during the most challenging moments, there’s a good chance their response won’t be an “it” so much as a “who.” Survivors often tell us that, at the end of the day, it’s their loved onestheir husbands, wives, parents, children, grandchildren, friends, lovers, and partnerswho support them through their journey with cancer.
This is true for Olivia Newton-John, 70, the beloved actress and songwriter best known for her role playing Sandy in “Grease,” who has been dealing with a difficult journey with breast cancer since she was first diagnosed in 1992. Newton-John’s second husband, John Easterling, 67, has been her pillar of support for over a decade (the couple was married in 2009).
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Perhaps that’s why, when her cancer returned yet again in 2017, this time having spread to her tailbone, it meant so much that Newton-John was in a happy, supportive relationship with Easterling.
Newton-John’s Medical Marijuana Use
Easterling is an entrepreneur who founded Amazon Herb Company, a company that sells, among other natural supplements, marijuana products. It comes as no surprise, then, that Easterling has supported Newton-John using legally-grown medical marijuana and other cannabis products to help ease the pain and stress associated with her advanced breast cancer.
Importantly, Newton-John has been public about the fact that her marijuana use hasn’t been in place of conventional treatment for her breast cancer.
RELATED: Understanding How Medical Marijuana Alleviates Pain
Newton-John has still been receiving treatment from licensed oncologists while also using marijuana as a complementary therapy–a combination of treatment types that doctors call “integrative medicine.”
RELATED: The Difference Between Integrative Medicine and "Alternative Medicine"
My gorgeous husband @amazonjohn in an Italian vineyard pic.twitter.com/XriiR4C4
Olivia Newton-John (@olivianj) November 4, 2011
Simplifying Their Lives
Sometimes in the wake of a cancer diagnosis or occurrence, it can be helpful for people to simplify their lives financially. Newton-John and Easterling have been keeping it simple in the wake of the cancer recurrence.
Last month, they put two of their homes on the market–one a ranch in Australia and the other a home in California. Newton-John also auctioned off the leather pants she wore in “Grease.”
Don't Stop Believin' is my story in my words. I’m so proud that $1 from every hardback sold is donated to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre. It's available in Australia wherever books… https://t.co/t1fK56jqQi
Olivia Newton-John (@olivianj) October 12, 2018
As Newton-John, who is now 70-years-old, leans on Easterling for support, companionship, and strength, she’s also been using her strength to share her story and advocate for cancer research.
The star recently published a memoir, titled “Don’t Stop Believin'” and optimistically 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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