Bruce Springsteen’s wife and bandmate has been diagnosed with a rare blood cancer.
Patti Scialfa, a songwriter, singer and guitarist, opened up about her diagnosis, according to Variety, in her husband’s new documentary ‘Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.’ The documentary premiered Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Scialfa has been battling multiple myeloma since 2018. Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms in the plasma cells in the bone marrow. “Healthy plasma cells help fight infection by making proteins called antibodies,” the Mayo Clinic explains. “Antibodies find and attack bacteria.”
Since her diagnosis, she has rarely been on stage. “It feels great to be back on stage,” the performer shared. “Touring has been a challenge for me. It affects my immune system, so I have to be careful about what I choose to do and where I choose to go.”
“Every now and then I go to a show or two and I get to sing a couple of songs on stage, and that’s a lot of fun,” Scialfa said. “That’s the new normal for me right now, and I’m okay with that.”
The 71-year-old discussed her health with ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine in August 2020. She stressed that her children are always careful with her because she is “high risk because of a health issue I have. My children are very cautious.”
She has been a member of the E Street Band since 1984 — seven years before she married bandleader Bruce Springsteen. The two have been married since 1991.
‘Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’ will be available to stream on Hulu on October 25.
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Scialfa, who did not attend Sunday’s induction, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2014 as a member of the E Street Band.
Original article published on Enstarz.
Tags Bruce Springsteen, Cancer