New York — Singer Candi Staton says she's been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The 78-year-old said she received the news over the summer on the first day of rehearsals for her tour.
She writes in a statement, "I decided to keep it to myself and do some soul searching. I went through all of the emotions: denial, poor me and anger."
SEE THE STATEMENT - POSTED ON THE SINGER'S INSTAGRAM - HERE:
View this post on Instagram
I‘ve been diagnosed with breast cancer. After all I’ve gone through in my life – the domestic abuse, the bad relationships, alcoholism, fighting with record labels for royalties and all of that stuff – it’s the last thing I ever expected to go through, but I’m going through it and I plan to beat it. ### The diagnosis came in the summer, on the first day of rehearsals for the Unstoppable tour. I decided to keep it to myself and do some soul searching. I went through all of the emotions: denial, poor me and anger. It really helped me to be on the road, doing something I love to do, and was born to do. ### When I walked out on that stage, I didn’t think about anything else. It pulled things out of me that I haven’t done. It pulled real life out of me. I’m not entertaining anymore, this is real. I’m singing for myself, and you get the real me today. I thought I’d been doing all the right things. I don’t eat red meat. I take vitamins and medicinal herbs. I stay active and keep my weight down. How could this happen to me? The lesson I’ve learned is that it can happen to anyone regardless of how healthy a lifestyle you lead. Cancer can happen to anyone. I found a lump through self-check, so I really encourage women – including elderly women - to get a regular mammogram. Don’t let the fact that you are young or that you’ve lived a certain length of time without getting it, fool you in to thinking you’re immune to it. Have yourself checked because it can happen at any age. I’ve had more tests in the last two months than I’ve had in my entire life but while I’ve been at the hospital, I’ve met all kinds of people going through the same thing. Just the other day, I saw a young woman. She was all alone. She was upset because she had cancer before and it came back. I saw a ring on her finger and asked where her fiancé was, and she angrily said she didn’t know because he’s not taking her diagnosis well. I encouraged her and told her not to give up because God isn’t through with her yet. I hugged her, and she leaned into me and just started crying and said, “Thank you.” Comforting that young woman took my mind off of my own situation momentarily.
A post shared by Candi Staton (@candistaton) on Oct 29, 2018 at 9:59am PDT
But she says that being on the road helped her.
Staton will begin 12 weeks of chemotherapy on Tuesday. She says she found a lump through self-check and she's encouraging women, "including elderly women — to get a regular mammogram."
The Grammy-nominated soul and gospel singer's Top 40 hits include Young Hearts Run Free and a cover of Tammy Wynette's Stand By Your Man .
WATCH CANDI PERFORMING YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE:
VIDEO
Staton released the album, Unstoppable , earlier this year.
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Publications
Partners
