(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.

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.

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




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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

thanks for posting
One love Patti

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



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.

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.

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

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?