Minogue clan supports Kylie
2005-05-20 10:23
Sydney - Dannii Minogue arrived in Australia on Friday and hurried to the side of the sister whose stellar music career has for so long overshadowed her own.
International superstar Kylie Minogue is in her Melbourne hometown receiving treatment for breast cancer that doctors said was detected before it could spread to other parts of her body.
Surgery is scheduled for this week and may already have taken place, given the traffic shuttling between the Minogue family home and the security-guard-ringed Cabrini private hospital.
Dr Karen Luxford of the National Breast Cancer Centre gave Minogue, who turns 37 next week, a good chance of recovery.
This was despite the fact that tumours in younger women tended to be larger and the treatment more aggressive.
'With love and light...'
"About 80% will be alive five years after diagnosis, whereas the rate for women who are over 50 tends to be higher, somewhere round about 85 to 90%," she said.
The discovery of a tumour prompted a last-minute cancellation of her sell-out Showgirl world tour. Minogue has received expressions of support from round the world.
Pop star Madonna, the fellow London-resident and entertainment industry rival, posted a message on her website for the tiny songbird.
"Let's all pray for her speedy recovery and send all our best wishes her way," the American-born "Material Girl" wrote. "With love and light to you Kylie. Madonna."
Also pledging support was group-of-the-moment Coldplay. At a concert in New York, lead singer Chris Martin dedicated a song to the star.
Fans have crashed Kylie websites in their search for news of their idol. Some sites have had to be taken down from the internet because they can't cope with the barrage of hits.
In Sydney fans planned a Saturday night pilgrimage to the Olympic Stadium where Minogue performed at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Olympics, an appearance credited with re-energising her career and endearing her to Australians.
Thanked fans
Minogue, who left Australia in 1988 after I Should Be So Lucky topped charts around the world, issued a statement thanking well-wishers.
"My heartfelt thanks to the incredible number of people who have sent messages of love and support over the last two days," Minogue said. "I want to reassure you that I am being well taken care of."
Dannii is the latest of the Minogue clan to rally round the Grammy award-winning singer. Her parents, Ron and Carol, are with her, as is her boyfriend, the French actor Olivier Martinez.
"Olivier is by my side and I have a lot of family and friends around me," Minogue said. "I would also like to extend my best wishes to all of the other women around Australia and around the world who are dealing with the same illness."
Breast screening clinics around Australia report a flurry of bookings from younger women, many of whom had thought they needn't worry about the disease until after menopause.
"It's a wake-up call for women that we need to self-examine on a regular basis and there is no age limit," said Olivia Newton-John, formerly Australia's biggest entertainment export.
Newton-John, who shone briefly when she starred alongside John Travolta in the film Grease, was treated for breast cancer in 1992. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA