(AP) – 19 minutes ago

NEW YORK — The wife of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is a cancer survivor.

Patti Hansen reveals in the August issue of Vogue magazine that she was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2007.

She says she first underwent chemotherapy, which shrunk the tumor but didn't get rid of it completely. One doctor said she had two to three years to live.

Her next move was a bold one: Doctors removed her bladder and used her intestine to create a neobladder, or a new bladder. She also had her appendix removed and a full hysterectomy.

The 54-year-old Hansen says she wants to help other women who suffer from bladder cancer. The disease is typically associated with men, but an increasing number of women are also suffering from it.

The August issue of Vogue hits newsstands nationwide July 20.

I think now we can see and understand why Keith hasnt done very much since the last tour ended.

A brave woman. Hope she's fully recovered and stays healthy.

Wow,looking at her you would never realize she was that sick. Good for her. Nice of her to tell her story.


I think now we can see and understand why Keith hasnt done very much since the last tour ended.


Yeah I thought of that as well Gazza. But obviously,her health is far more important than any Stones activity.

Wow, they sure kept that hush hush. All of my prayers for Patti and Keith.

Kudos to Patti for the courage to make her story public and very best wishes for her continued good health.

http://media.vogue.com/files/filecheck/2010/09/07/img-pattiholding_181153336426.jpg_article_singleimage.jpg
Photographed by Annie Leibovitz

Link to the interview > http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/patti-hansen-rock-steady/

Wow. Some pretty serious health scares for the Richardses the last few years ...

WELL, DON'T WE All FEEL A LITTLE BLOODY STUPID ! :wtf1

What a horrible ordeal for Patti, Keith and the family!!

Kudos to Patti for her bravery and honesty. You go girl. Stay strong!!!



oh yeah... CANCER SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!  >:(  >:(

LJ.

THANKS ! BEST STONES READ IN YEARS !! GOOD LUCK PATTI ! :smilestu

Continued good health and much happiness to Patti and Keith  :)

Wow, this is a shock. I feel bad for calling Keith lazy, childish etc.....
Cancer is a painful experience and I had no idea Patti's sisters died of cancer.
I love this woman. She's my favorite latter-day Stones chick.....funny, smart, level-headed and with a strong foundation in her faith and she's not afraid to say it.
Good for her. She has real grace.
Yes, Lady Jane, cancer sucks! My father, mother and sister are all cancer survivors, thank God, but you never forget that fear or sense of uncertainty and mortality.
Somehow, knowing that cancer has affected the Stones has made it less scary, if that makes sense. I also admire how the family kept it private and dealt with it.

WOWl... that was a well kept secret.   I'm glad Patti found the strenght to speak out about bladder cancer...God Bless.  


I've always admired Keith and Patti...May the Good Lord Shine A Light on You.....

How they kept that quiet for so long is amazing!

Patti is a very brave and strong woman.  Good article and she will make a very good spokes person for those with bladder cancer.

PartyDoll MEG wrote on Jul 13^th, 2010 at 4:35pm:

How they kept that quiet for so long is amazing! Patti is a very brave and strong woman.  Good article and she will make a very good spokes person for those with bladder cancer.

Amen Meg.
I just took the time to read this again.
It is one of the most insightful and well written "Stones related" articles I have read in a long long time.

What an incredible woman. Inner and outer beauty, class, dignity and great love of family. So grounded and so spiritual.

Thank God this appears to have had a happy ending.

LJ

At one point during the tour we turn a corner and arrive at a closed door. Hansen, hand on the knob, pauses and gives me a you-are-not-going-to-believe-this stare. "It's not like Keith goes down here anymore," she says, rolling her eyes as only a woman who has been married to a man for 27 years could. We head down into the basement, the stairway walls lined with gold and platinum records, and emerge into what must be every aging Rolling Stones fan's secret fantasy: a virtual barroom filled with rock paraphernalia and table games of every sort. Keith used to record down here, but no more: Patti moved most of the amps and mixing boards out (though there are guitars and saxophones and keyboards all over the house).

-

Speaking of immortality, Keith's official memoirs, written with the journalist James Fox, are coming out in the fall from Little, Brown. Hansen is nervous. "I never really read any of the books about Keith," she says. "I'm living it. Why do I want to read someone else's interpretation of it?" When Fox asked Hansen questions about certain aspects of her husband's life, her response was often "I don't know anything about that." "I didn't talk much," she says. "Let's just say that. Let it be about the music." She sighs. "It's a very emotional situation, with him talking about himself. You must have read how he's embracing sobriety now. That's a whole other way to look at life. It's heavy. But he wants to put it out there." She laughs. "I'm sure I'll be going straight to the index."

Without wishing to deviate from this thread too much, thats two very interesting little tidbits. One not so good , the other certainly more positive.

A horrible trauma for any family to endure.

"I didn't dwell on it. You have to pull yourself out of that. It's so not healthy to wallow in it." She pauses again. "I think most people do, though."

A great deal of wisdom in the above.

Well done Patti!

phew! she dodged a bullet... i'm glad we didn't know, and found out by good news!

Gazza wrote on Jul 13^th, 2010 at 5:01pm:

At one point during the tour we turn a corner and arrive at a closed door. Hansen, hand on the knob, pauses and gives me a you-are-not-going-to-believe-this stare. "It's not like Keith goes down here anymore," she says, rolling her eyes as only a woman who has been married to a man for 27 years could. We head down into the basement, the stairway walls lined with gold and platinum records, and emerge into what must be every aging Rolling Stones fan's secret fantasy: a virtual barroom filled with rock paraphernalia and table games of every sort. Keith used to record down here, but no more: Patti moved most of the amps and mixing boards out (though there are guitars and saxophones and keyboards all over the house). - Speaking of immortality, Keith's official memoirs, written with the journalist James Fox, are coming out in the fall from Little, Brown. Hansen is nervous. "I never really read any of the books about Keith," she says. "I'm living it. Why do I want to read someone else's interpretation of it?" When Fox asked Hansen questions about certain aspects of her husband's life, her response was often "I don't know anything about that." "I didn't talk much," she says. "Let's just say that. Let it be about the music." She sighs. "It's a very emotional situation, with him talking about himself. You must have read how he's embracing sobriety now. That's a whole other way to look at life. It's heavy. But he wants to put it out there." She laughs. "I'm sure I'll be going straight to the index." Without wishing to deviate from this thread too much, thats two very interesting little tidbits. One not so good , the other certainly more positive.

You mean the part about Keith not recording there anymore?

thanks for posting
One love Patti

Perhaps keith is embracing the sad realitiy that not everyone is as lucky as he is. Patti made it and that is so wonderful however a bit of inner remorse about his own fortune may have jolted Keith. she's doing well which is paramount in all this. Secondarily maybe we get a renewed Keith with one last burst of creativity?

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 13^th, 2010 at 7:00pm:

Gazza wrote on Jul 13th, 2010 at 5:01pm: At one point during the tour we turn a corner and arrive at a closed door. Hansen, hand on the knob, pauses and gives me a you-are-not-going-to-believe-this stare. "It's not like Keith goes down here anymore," she says, rolling her eyes as only a woman who has been married to a man for 27 years could. We head down into the basement, the stairway walls lined with gold and platinum records, and emerge into what must be every aging Rolling Stones fan's secret fantasy: a virtual barroom filled with rock paraphernalia and table games of every sort. Keith used to record down here, but no more: Patti moved most of the amps and mixing boards out (though there are guitars and saxophones and keyboards all over the house). - Speaking of immortality, Keith's official memoirs, written with the journalist James Fox, are coming out in the fall from Little, Brown. Hansen is nervous. "I never really read any of the books about Keith," she says. "I'm living it. Why do I want to read someone else's interpretation of it?" When Fox asked Hansen questions about certain aspects of her husband's life, her response was often "I don't know anything about that." "I didn't talk much," she says. "Let's just say that. Let it be about the music." She sighs. "It's a very emotional situation, with him talking about himself. You must have read how he's embracing sobriety now. That's a whole other way to look at life. It's heavy. But he wants to put it out there." She laughs. "I'm sure I'll be going straight to the index." Without wishing to deviate from this thread too much, thats two very interesting little tidbits. One not so good , the other certainly more positive. You mean the part about Keith not recording there anymore?

Yes. Thats the 'not so good' bit. Purely from a musical perspective of course. If it was a reaction to his wife's illness and him getting his priorities in order, thats another thing entirely, of course, and totally understandable.  Although it did say she moved them out.

Anyway, like I said, I dont want to deviate from the tone of the thread too much as something like that is a triviality by comparison. She's recovering well and thats all that matters.

IN THE EXILE INTERVIEWS ON THE DVD,HE SEEMED DIFFERENT.THE WORD MATURE COMES TO MIND..

Amazing story. Patti showed a lot of courage and strength for beating cancer through a process that sounds horrific and unimaginable. Fortunately, she made it through and will continue to live a healthy life.

BILL PERKS wrote on Jul 13^th, 2010 at 8:18pm:

IN THE EXILE INTERVIEWS ON THE DVD,HE SEEMED DIFFERENT.THE WORD MATURE COMES TO MIND..

And in most of the interviews on Stones in Exile, he was gracious toward Mick, rarely snarky (although Keith can never resist at least one dig). Even when they asked about the whole Mick-wasn't-there-on-exile-because-royalty-is-having-a-baby shtick. He said that people had made too much of that. That's why those tabloid stories about his 'attacks' on Mick in his memoirs surprised me. He seemed to be beyond that. I do wonder how Mick has been there for his friend. Mick, for all his faults, has been known to be loyal to those he truly cares about and a genuinely supportive friend...
The key here is that Patti is a cancer survivor.
That is a blessing.

Gazza wrote on Jul 13^th, 2010 at 7:57pm:

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 13th, 2010 at 7:00pm: Gazza wrote on Jul 13th, 2010 at 5:01pm: At one point during the tour we turn a corner and arrive at a closed door. Hansen, hand on the knob, pauses and gives me a you-are-not-going-to-believe-this stare. "It's not like Keith goes down here anymore," she says, rolling her eyes as only a woman who has been married to a man for 27 years could. We head down into the basement, the stairway walls lined with gold and platinum records, and emerge into what must be every aging Rolling Stones fan's secret fantasy: a virtual barroom filled with rock paraphernalia and table games of every sort. Keith used to record down here, but no more: Patti moved most of the amps and mixing boards out (though there are guitars and saxophones and keyboards all over the house). - Speaking of immortality, Keith's official memoirs, written with the journalist James Fox, are coming out in the fall from Little, Brown. Hansen is nervous. "I never really read any of the books about Keith," she says. "I'm living it. Why do I want to read someone else's interpretation of it?" When Fox asked Hansen questions about certain aspects of her husband's life, her response was often "I don't know anything about that." "I didn't talk much," she says. "Let's just say that. Let it be about the music." She sighs. "It's a very emotional situation, with him talking about himself. You must have read how he's embracing sobriety now. That's a whole other way to look at life. It's heavy. But he wants to put it out there." She laughs. "I'm sure I'll be going straight to the index." Without wishing to deviate from this thread too much, thats two very interesting little tidbits. One not so good , the other certainly more positive. You mean the part about Keith not recording there anymore? Yes. Thats the 'not so good' bit. Purely from a musical perspective of course. If it was a reaction to his wife's illness and him getting his priorities in order, thats another thing entirely, of course, and totally understandable.  Although it did say she moved them out. Anyway, like I said, I dont want to deviate from the tone of the thread too much as something like that is a triviality by comparison. She's recovering well and thats all that matters.

Right I understand that perfectly and not to belabor the point. But how much recording did Keith do there in the first place? Espicially Stones related recording?

I am guilty as so many on here and other message boards of saying how lazy Keith Richards has been in recent years.

Now we hear that his wife of twenty some odd years had bladder cancer in 2007 and underwent major surgery... (sounds sort of experimental as well as major) in hopes of ridding her of the ailment. One doctor even told her she had two or three years to live.  In fact, she has no real bladder anymore. Her new bladder is made from her intestine. Luckily she seems to be in great shape and is doing good as new leading a normal life.

Point being is this all went on over the past couple years without any of us knowing a damn thing...
The same is true with Charlie. He already had surgery and was undergoing radiation treatments by the time any of us heard anything.

What am I trying to say? Even in this internet/media age we still never TRULY know what they are up to.

***...and just because we have not seen or heard of them does not mean there are not major things going on or begun ...be it from an artistic stand point or personal.

So glad she made it. No wonder Keith was out of site ...he had major personal things to tend to. God Bless.


Ian

God, that was a shock! I don't know what to say... So glad Patti's alright now! Cancer sucks, what it does to the patient and the family, psychologically as well as physically... She's so strong and brave! Can't believe they were going through all that stuff just a couple of years ago. Thank God all turned out alright.  

Voo or Gazza, how about a header of Patti and Keith as a show of our support???

LadyJane wrote on Jul 14^th, 2010 at 6:49am:

Voo or Gazza, how about a header of Patti and Keith as a show of our support???

I second that!  8-)

Reading that brought tears to my eyes.  My step mother died of bladder cancer in March of this year after a four year fight.  She had other underlying health problems that caused every complication in the book.  Reading that was a bit like listening to Dad talk about Carol.  Same thing, rock of the family is ill.

Kuddos to Patti for being so brave!  She is one heck of a woman.  No wonder Keith loves her so much.

A great read with an apparent happy ending all around. Love this qoute " "He does need to get on tour soon so I can look at him like that again."

Even Patti agrees we need a fucking tour. :willya

Nuts. The article didn't specify if she was diagnosed during the end of the tour or after the tour was finished. Either way, I'm sure they knew something wasn't right. And I know from experience that it's really damn hard to concentrate on anything when someone close to you is fighting a disease like cancer. There's news every day and the uncertainty and fear can be so overwhelming. Makes his performance during the last part of the tour more forgivable.

I am really happy to hear that the treatment was a success. And I admire the family for the way they handled this with the press.

I'm very happy to read that she is okay and doing much better.

Holden wrote on Jul 14^th, 2010 at 8:35am:

Nuts. The article didn't specify if she was diagnosed during the end of the tour or after the tour was finished. Either way, I'm sure they knew something wasn't right. And I know from experience that it's really damn hard to concentrate on anything when someone close to you is fighting a disease like cancer. There's news every day and the uncertainty and fear can be so overwhelming. Makes his performance during the last part of the tour more forgivable. I am really happy to hear that the treatment was a success. And I admire the family for the way they handled this with the press.

It mentions it in the article -

At the end of the Rolling Stones' Bigger Bang tour in 2007, Hansen, now 54, who had been spotting for months, urinated blood. Within days, doctors discovered a mass. Within a month she was on chemo, and three months after that, she underwent complicated surgery. Because of the tumor's location, Hansen's bladder had to be removed, and her surgeons at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering reconstructed what is called a "neobladder" out of her intestine. They also removed her appendix and performed a full hysterectomy.


Here are some photos from Leah Wood's wedding in June 2008, by which time Patti would have undergone chemo. Looking at it with the benefit of hindsight, she looks quite thin, but still good considering what she'd been going through.

http://www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Leah+Wood+Jack+Macdonald+Wedding+Southwark+LNEffzSum2Al.jpg

http://members.tripod.com/blue_lena/leahwedding2.jpg

http://members.tripod.com/blue_lena/wedding4.jpg

And yes, LJ - good idea about the header. I'm sure Voodoo will oblige!

I think there's something kind of sweet about Theodora's quote - 'How could anything ever happen to her?" she says. "Dad keeps on falling and always comes back. He's like a machine'

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 13^th, 2010 at 10:13pm:

Gazza wrote on Jul 13th, 2010 at 7:57pm: sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 13th, 2010 at 7:00pm: Gazza wrote on Jul 13th, 2010 at 5:01pm: At one point during the tour we turn a corner and arrive at a closed door. Hansen, hand on the knob, pauses and gives me a you-are-not-going-to-believe-this stare. "It's not like Keith goes down here anymore," she says, rolling her eyes as only a woman who has been married to a man for 27 years could. We head down into the basement, the stairway walls lined with gold and platinum records, and emerge into what must be every aging Rolling Stones fan's secret fantasy: a virtual barroom filled with rock paraphernalia and table games of every sort. Keith used to record down here, but no more: Patti moved most of the amps and mixing boards out (though there are guitars and saxophones and keyboards all over the house). - Speaking of immortality, Keith's official memoirs, written with the journalist James Fox, are coming out in the fall from Little, Brown. Hansen is nervous. "I never really read any of the books about Keith," she says. "I'm living it. Why do I want to read someone else's interpretation of it?" When Fox asked Hansen questions about certain aspects of her husband's life, her response was often "I don't know anything about that." "I didn't talk much," she says. "Let's just say that. Let it be about the music." She sighs. "It's a very emotional situation, with him talking about himself. You must have read how he's embracing sobriety now. That's a whole other way to look at life. It's heavy. But he wants to put it out there." She laughs. "I'm sure I'll be going straight to the index." Without wishing to deviate from this thread too much, thats two very interesting little tidbits. One not so good , the other certainly more positive. You mean the part about Keith not recording there anymore? Yes. Thats the 'not so good' bit. Purely from a musical perspective of course. If it was a reaction to his wife's illness and him getting his priorities in order, thats another thing entirely, of course, and totally understandable.  Although it did say she moved them out. Anyway, like I said, I dont want to deviate from the tone of the thread too much as something like that is a triviality by comparison. She's recovering well and thats all that matters. Right I understand that perfectly and not to belabor the point. But how much recording did Keith do there in the first place? Espicially Stones related recording?

Thats where he tends to work on pretty much everything, waiting for 'incoming'.....

Online link with the main Vogue article - http://www.vogue.com/feature/2010_August_Patti_Hansen - and a GREAT new photo of Patti looking pretty wonderful.


http://www.vogue.com/images/2010/vogue/feature/2010_August_Patti_Hansen/main_pict.jpg

Now if THAT ain't header-worthy......

Hell, it might even bring Voodoopug back...

She's always been one of the most beautiful women in the world, and one of my all-time crushes. Keith is one lucky guy to have such a ROCK SOLID woman in his life.

And as for this little tid bit about her removing the amps....who knows...maybe she moved them into a secret recording studio. Either way it don't matter in the end. If Keef needs a guitar, I'm sure one is never far away.

LadyJane wrote on Jul 14^th, 2010 at 6:49am:

Voo or Gazza, how about a header of Patti and Keith as a show of our support???

Keith and Patti at the May 11th premiere of 'Stones In Exile' in NYC.
Both look happy and healthy...

http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/fp/Exile+Main+Street+New+York+Premiere+e8QIzweJVOUl.jpg

http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/fp/Exile+Main+Street+New+York+Premiere+2CNZ8wihDpRl.jpg
Photos by Photo Agency

From experiencing cancer through family members, there is something exhilaratingly life-affirming about beating cancer that makes everything else so small. It truly gives you a new lease on life. Looking at these pictures from the Stones in Exile premier, they have that look of 'it's going to be okay now..'
Not to sound like a selfish Stones fan, but maybe this will re-energize Keith's output. I'd love for Keith to take a more prominent lead in the studio and write more lyrics, sing lead on more songs.....

Jesus...that certainly explains a lot. Good to read she beat it. Well written story btw. Most of the time articles about beating cancer have a lot of melodrama. Which is understandable, but here it's not the case and that gives the story the attitude you expect from Patti..

Daily Mail report on the Vogue article includes a pic of Keith and Patti at last week's Ringo show in NYC.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/07/15/article-1294938-0A73453A000005DC-9_468x591.jpg

Patti looks radiant and Keith's hair looks combed!

The 2010 photos of her are like night and day compared to the 2008 ones.

Gazza wrote on Jul 15^th, 2010 at 3:17pm:

The 2010 photos of her are like night and day compared to the 2008 ones.

Agree.
Keith too!!!!

Worrying about somebody long term will age you FAST.  

I just read the full interview. Very revealing. Sounds like Keith took this very hard and didn't know how to deal with it. He doesn't have a driver's license, so he had cars take her to the appointments and a nurse come in for visits. The daughters open up too. I'll tell you what-that family has a lot of love for one another.

Vibes out to the Richards family.  

Amazing story. Patti is lucky in so many ways, and she possesses wisdom and strength, beauty, elegance and intelligence apart from KEEF. wow. I would of never guessed she was suffering they really kept this private, and thats amazing in itself!

KEITH RICHARDS WAS MY ROCK, SAYS CANCER SURVIVOR PATTI

http://images.dailyexpress.co.uk/img/dynamic/9/285x214/201898_1.jpg

KEITH Richards' wife has now movingly revealed how the Rolling Stone nursed her through her latest cancer battle.


Former model Patti Hansen, who married the legendary guitarist in 1983, was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2007 and was reportedly given a “50-50” chance of survival.


Having thankfully responded well to chemotherapy, Patti has now publicly paid tribute to her devoted husband and insists the traumatic experience brought them closer together.

“We now have a really open relationship,” explains Patti, 54, who also overcame a breast cancer scare in 2005. “I used to hold back so much from him. I didn’t want to tell him the bad stuff. Now I tell him every little thing that’s going on. I’m so blessed. I feel so healed.”

Recalling how she and Keith, 66, coped during her treatment, Patti says: “I didn’t lose my hair, but I just sat there like a lump on a log.

“Keith and I watched a lot of Turner Classic Movies like couch potatoes.”

Ironically her tribute to Keith comes at a time when his old band mate Sir Mick Jagger has been enduring decidedly less flattering publicity courtesy of ex-wife Jerry Hall’s new memoirs. Hall, 54, describes Jagger as a “sexual predator”.

Richards has long had the most decadent image of all the band members, courtesy of his well-documented drug and alcohol abuse over the decades. However, these days he’s said to have cleaned up his act.

 
Keith and Patti’s daughter Alexandra acknowledges her father initially struggled to cope with her mother’s illness before becoming her “rock”. “He definitely shut down, he thought the worst,” she now says. “Dad held her hand through the whole thing.”


http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/201898/Keith-Richards-was-my-rock-says-cancer-survivor-Patti

Wow. Yeah. It's so easy to want to shut down when cancer enters the picture. And the one who is not suffering and fighting the disease feels so helpless. I've been on both ends of the spectrum. That diagnosis changes everything! Doesn't take long to realize that our very next day is not promised to us to live. I'm thankful that Keith, and Patti's strong faith, were ever present for her in support, and to aid in her recovery. I had that support as well---from people all over the world! Even people I didn't know....and I have the faith that Patti possesses. And that makes all the difference. :)

Keith is such a sweetheart. I think addictions brought out a more negative side of him back in the 70s, but at heart - he's always been Keith, a kind, sensitive, gentle soul.

And a true romantic at heart...

Yes, and that shows in his playing, which makes the Stones so sublime.

sorry if you cats have seen this before. A friend sent this link over.

Gives an insight into Keefs psyche during this time.

http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/patti-hansen-rock-steady/

:wtf1

This is old news, posted on July 13, 2010

http://rocksoff.org/messageboard/YaBB.pl?num=1279046791/0

As you can see you replied

:charlieperv

I've never read that article.

Thanks for posting.  [smiley=thumbup.gif]

Voodoo Chile in Wonderland wrote on Oct 24^th, 2011 at 10:18am:

This is old news, posted on July 13, 2010 http://rocksoff.org/messageboard/YaBB.pl?num=1279046791/0 As you can see you replied :charlieperv

oops my bad
i cant remember what i did yesterday let alone what i posted a year back.
worth revisiting tho.
Looks like it really roughed Keef up.
:whydontcha