Olivia Newton-John Sister In Cancer Battle

Olivia Newton-John’s sister Rona has been diagnosed with brain cancer. As a result, the Grease star announced Monday night that she will delay her move to Las Vegas, where she was planning to alternate performance dates at the Flamingo Casino with Donny and Marie Osmond.

According to the original plan announced earlier in April, the Osmonds wanted to rearrange their Flamingo schedule to allow them to perform concerts elsewhere. Olivia Newton-John would be performing while they were on the road. According to the Las Vegas Sun, the rumors had suggested that Newton-John tickets were going to go on sale sometime before May 1.

However, the sad news about Newton-John’s sister means that Olivia’s Vegas move will have to be postponed. In a brief statement that asked the public to expect the family’s privacy, the 64-year-old singer noted that she was a cancer survivor herself: “I am very aware of the importance of love, support and family during this journey she is about to begin.”

Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. She told CNN that she faced a lot of fears of the unknown at the time, including a superstitious fear of chemotherapy that caused her to consider alternative treatments like homeopathy instead.

“Common sense prevailed,” she commented. “One of my girlfriends said, ‘Why would you want to risk even that one cancer cell? You have a child.'”

After chemotherapy and a mastectomy, she has been in remission for two decades.

The singer has been a powerful voice for breast cancer survivors ever since. As well as speaking out honestly and openly on her experience with breast cancer, she has helped found the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Australia.

Stage One of the Wellness Centre opened last July. The final opening is currently scheduled for July 2013.

Let’s hope Olivia Newton-John’s sister Rona experiences a similar success.

[Olivia Newton-John photo by Photo Works / Shutterstock.com]