Even as pop star Kylie Minogue recovers from breast cancer, pop and country singer Sheryl Crow, who recently broke her engagement with Tour de France winner cyclist Lance Armstrong, has been diagnosed with the malignant disease.
A statement posted on the singer's Web site said that she had undergone surgery for the malignancy on February 22 and would be postponing her North America tour to receive radiation therapy. “I am joining the more than 200,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. We are a testament to the importance of early detection and new treatments,” Crow said in the statement.
She also urged women to go for regular checkups to ensure early diagnosis and thus, better chances of complete cure. “I am inspired by the brave women who have faced this battle before me and grateful for the support of family and friends,” added the 44-year-old singer.
The statement added that the surgery was 'minimally invasive'. “Her doctors think her prognosis is excellent,” said Dave Tomberlin, Crow's publicist.
Meanwhile, former fiancé Lance Armstrong, who survived testicular and brain cancer to become a seven-time Tour de France winner, said the news was 'devastating' to him. “Once again I'm reminded of just how pervasive this illness is, as it has now touched someone I love deeply. Based on my contact in recent days with Sheryl, her doctor and her family, I am confident that she will have a full and complete recovery and the world will be a better place for it,” he said in a statement, urging Crow's fans to keep her in their 'thoughts and prayers'.
Crow, who has hits like
All I Wanna Do (Is Have Some Fun), Soak Up The Sun, and
Everyday Is A Winding Road recently released her album
Wildflower, which she dedicated to Armstrong and his children from his first marriage. She split with the cyclist after a two-year relationship, with the reasons for the breakup being kept under wraps.
In her statement, Crow expressed confidence that she would emerge the winner in the fight against cancer. “More than 10 million Americans are living with cancer, and they demonstrate the ever-increasing possibility of living beyond cancer,” she added.
