Bruce Springsteen's wife opens up about her cancer battle and reflects on 'new normal'

Patti Scialfa has courageously disclosed her private battle with cancer , having been diagnosed with multiple myeloma back in 2018. The esteemed E Street Band songstress made her health struggles public during the unveiling of the documentary "Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band" at the Toronto Film Festival on Sunday evening.

Following her diagnosis, Patti took a step away from the touring scene. Married to rock icon Bruce Springsteen, Patti spoke candidly in the documentary about scaling back her live performances , expressing: "I've been performing with this band for 40 years. With those first performances, it felt so good to be back onstage."

In light of Springsteen's recent cancellation of European tour dates due to significant health issues, attention has also been drawn to the often-overlooked symptoms of peptic ulcers. Patti acknowledged the difficulties she faces when considering performing while managing her condition.

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"This affects my immune system so I just have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go. Every once in a while, I come to a show or two and I can sing a few songs onstage, and that's been a treat. That's the new normal for me right now, and I'm OK with that," she revealed, reports the Mirror US .

She delved into the moment she learned of her diagnosis amidst Bruce's Broadway stint in 2018. Myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer, has the potential to impact various parts of the body, including the spine, skull, pelvis, and ribs. The cancer can lead to persistent problems such as ongoing bone pain, exhaustion, frailty, and breathlessness. Sight issues, headaches, or feeling lightheaded are also symptoms.

Bruce, Patti's other half, has faced his own health battles while touring in the past few years. The rock legend suffered from peptic ulcer disease, which side-lined him for six months and affected his singing ability.

On Sirius XM's E Street Radio, he revealed this year: "You sing with your diaphragm. You know, my diaphragm was hurting so badly that when I went to make the effort to sing, it was killing me, so I literally couldn't sing at all, you know? And that lasted for two, three months, along with just a myriad of other painful problems."

Bruce had to drop out of his planned gigs in March 2023 and even rescheduled some shows last August across America owing to not feeling well. He also moved some tour stops earlier this year. Back in May, Bruce had to delay a gig in Marseille "due to vocal issues", an Instagram update on his profile stated.

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