SINGER Linda Perry has revealed how a double mastectomy saved her life after being given just six months to live when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer.
Perry, 59, was the lead singer and primary songwriter of the rock band 4 Non Blondes.
Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Credit: Getty Images – Getty
In 2021, Perry underwent a double mastectomy after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, as reported by People.
“I feel so lucky because there’s so many women that don’t get that opportunity,” the What’s Up? singer told the outlet when revealing that she caught her illness early.
In her new documentary, Linda Perry: Let It Die Here, Perry explained she realized she had cancer while preparing for an elective breast reduction surgery.
Tissue removed during the surgery was submitted for a routine pathology evaluation, it was at that time that doctors discovered that the Songwriters Hall of Fame member had triple negative cancer in her breast
According to the American Cancer Society, triple-negative cancer “tends to grow and spread faster” than other types of cancer, has fewer treatment options, and has a worse prognosis.
Perry said that she doubts doctors would have found her cancer in time had she not had the surgery.
She admitted she would most likely have attributed her symptoms to stress because she was caring for her ill mother at the time.
“My doctor basically said the cancer that I had was the kind that she finds in people where they have six months to maybe two years to live,” she said about the scary diagnosis.
“And I would’ve never found it, and I would’ve never done anything about it when I started feeling off, because I would’ve thought it was because of my mom and the stressful situation I was under,” the Dear Mr. President singer added.
Perry, who shares daughter Rhodes, nine, with ex-wife Sara Gilbert, revealed her doctor told her that her options included radiation and a double mastectomy.
If I had access to more information on breast health when I was younger, I may have caught my symptoms earlier
After weighing both options she considered the latter a “no-brainer.”
The Grammy-nominated artist was filming Let It Die Here when she received the cancer diagnosis.
After talking with director Don Hardy, Perry decided to move forward with the documentary, stating, “The hammer was on me, and this happened in real time.
“I remember calling Don and going, ‘You’re not going to believe this,’ and he’s like, ‘Well, do you want to talk about it?’ And I’m like, ‘Well, we’re in it. Let’s just do it,'” she explained.
The singer is currently gearing up for the release of Let It Die Here, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on June 6, as well as a still-untitled new album.
“I am really finally enjoying this person I’m becoming,” she confessed.
Perry continued, “I’ve always had this thing where I just want to be the best. So much f**king pressure to be the best. But now I’m like, I just want to be the best at who I am. And that takes a lot of pressure off.
“I don’t want to be f—ing Superman. I don’t want to save the world. I just want to save the people I can, and I want to be the best person that I am.”
ABOUT LINDA PERRY
Along with being the lead singer for 4 Non Blondes, Perry has also composed and produced songs for other artists, including “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera, “Get the Party Started” by Pink, and “What You Waiting For?” by Gwen Stefani.
Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on April 15, 1965, Perry grew up in an artistic and musical household and had an interest in music at a young age.
She moved from San Diego to San Francisco in 1986 at 21 to pursue a music career and would play her guitar and sing her songs on city streets to gain notoriety.
In 1989, after composing her first professional song Down On Your Face, the singer was recruited into 4 Non Blondes by its founder, Christa Hillhouse.
WHAT IS A DOUBLE MASTECTOMY
Mastectomy is breast cancer surgery that removes the entire breast.
When both breasts are removed, the surgery is called a double or bilateral mastectomy, per the American Cancer Society.
Double mastectomy is sometimes done as a risk-reducing or preventative surgery for women who are at very high risk of getting breast cancer, such as those with a BRCA gene mutation.
Most of these mastectomies are simple mastectomies, but some may also be nipple-sparing.
A double mastectomy might also be done as part of a woman’s breast cancer treatment plan.
This is done after careful consideration and discussion between the patient and their cancer care team.
In 1992, the band released their only studio album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, to both critical and commercial acclaim.
The album would go platinum, selling 1.5 million copies in the United States and 6 million worldwide.
4 Non Blondes would disband in 1994, citing dissatisfaction with the first album and ongoing creative disagreements as the reason for the split.
Perry would go on to release three solo albums, In Flight (1996), After Hours (1999), and Deer Sounds (2015).
Credit: Getty
Credit: Getty
Credit: Getty