It's been just over a year since Olivia Newton-John passed away at the age of 73 after a battle with breast cancer, and now, her only child has shared a heartbreaking update about how she's been doing in the months since. Newton-John's daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, recently posted a video to Instagram in which she says that she has "not been okay" since her mother's death and has experienced health issues, including "extreme memory loss."
Lattanzi notes in the post that she still plans to participate in Olivia's Walk for Wellness, the charity event her mother started, which benefits the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre. But the 37-year-old adds that she will be taking some time to focus on herself afterwards. Read on to learn more.
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Lattanzi—who is Newton-John's daughter with her first husband, Matt Lattanzi—posted a video to Instagram on Aug. 19, in which she opens up about how she's been feeling for the past year following her mother's death. She lists some of the health issues she's been experiencing and says that she's been "neglecting" herself.
"Since my mom's passing and the year and a half with her going through cancer, I have not been okay," Lattanzi says. "If I have forgotten to return your calls… I've had extreme memory loss. I've had difficulty getting out of bed. I've stuck to my commitments, but I have been neglecting myself."
It is possible to suffer cognitive issues brought on by loss. According to Psych Central, "Grief can rewire our brain in a way that worsens memory, cognition, and concentration. You might feel spacey, forgetful, or unable to make 'good' decisions. It might also be difficult to speak or express yourself." The site refers to this condition as "grief brain."
Similarly, the American Brain Association states that "grief and loss affect the brain and body in many different ways. They can cause changes in memory, behavior, sleep, and body function, affecting the immune system as well as the heart. It can also lead to cognitive effects, such as brain fog."
In the video, Lattanzi shares that after the charity walk—which takes place on Oct. 8 in Melbourne—she plans to take some time to focus on herself. She says that she came to that decision by reflecting on one of the rules that Newton-John lived by.
"One of my mom's biggest messages was: 'Take care of you. If you don't take care of you, you cannot give your full capacity of love, wisdom, kindness, and power to everyone else,'" Lattanzi says in the video. "So, after the walk, I'm going to disappear for about three weeks, just to honor my mind, body, and spirit, because I'm developing a little bit of health issues in my mind and my body."
She goes on to apologize to anyone who she has "been inconsistent with." Lattanzi continues, "In the spirit of my mother and the spirit of the Wellness Walk, I'm gonna take a month to do that so I can be of complete service to everyone else. If you needed this reminder, I hope it was helpful."
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Even before losing her mother and speaking publicly about her experience with grief, Lattanzi had opened up about other difficult aspects of her life. She's talked about struggling with mental health issues, substance abuse, and an eating disorder.
In a recent interview with Australia's Stellar magazine (via OliviaNewton-John.com), Lattanzi shared that she will continue to share about these topics to honor Newton-John, who was known for speaking optimistically and supporting others in light of her cancer diagnosis.
"I went through years of mental illness caused of compound trauma. I'm going to be doing a podcast around that and mental illness—which is really trauma that hasn't been dealt with that manifests itself into symptoms of the mind, and addiction… escaping the pain of the body," Lattanzi told Stellar. Of her mother, she added, "She chose to turn something scary and painful into something heading and world-changing. Helping another person is the best therapy."
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Telling her own story isn't the only way that Lattanzi is continuing to "carry the torch," as she puts it, for Newton-John. She also supports her mother's cancer foundation and is continuing her advocacy for the use of plant medicine in cancer treatment. Lattanzi and her husband, James Driskill, run a legal marijuana farm, which is actually part of the family business. Newton-John's husband, John Easterling, also works in plant medicine, which is something the Grease star was proud of.
"I'm very lucky to be married to a wonderful man who is a plant medicine man," Newton-John told People in 2021. "Now he's growing medicinal cannabis for me, and it just has been wonderful. It helps me in every area."
Lattanzi has also been an active supporter of Olivia's Walk for Wellness. While promoting last year's event alongside her cousin, Tottie Goldsmith, Lattanzi said in an Instagram video, "We really want to raise awareness and get as many of you walking with us or virtually. It is so important to raise awareness and raise funds. My mom's dream was for kinder treatments for cancer … So I feel the torch has been passed and this is my mission and my passion and I'm so grateful to be doing this with my beautiful cousin for my mother."
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