John Remembers Kelly On Her Birthday
- In a touching tribute, John Travolta, 66, posted a picture of he and wife Kelly Preston on their wedding day, in honor of her birthday.
- Preston died of breast cancer this year after a two-year battle with the disease.
- As Travolta moves through his grief, he shows us that there is no “right way” to grieve every one handles it differently.
His mom, Helen Travolta, who is pictured in the photo, was also an actress. She died of breast cancer as well, in 1978.
When Preston died this past summer, there was an outpouring of love and support. Olivia Newton-John, a close friend of the pair, said in a recent interview that she’s been in touch with Travolta through his grief. “I send my love and support as often as I can,” said Newton-John.
Preston’s death came as a surprise to many of her fans. She chose not to share her battle with cancer publicly.
Losing Kelly to Cancer
Travolta and his kids have been navigating this hard loss, following Preston’s fight against cancer. She battled for two years and passed away in July. They have three children, Ella, 20, and Benjamin, 9 (their oldest child, Jett, died in 2009 at age 16).
Preston chose to keep her cancer diagnosis private, so not much is known publicly about her breast cancer journey and treatment. However, Travolta has publicly thanked the doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX
In sharing the news of her passing, Travolta wrote on Instagram: “It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer."
Dealing with Grief
While Travolta grapples with grief, it’s clear to see that grief like the cancer process is a journey and will be wholly unique to the person experiencing it. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to grieve. Many people who are grieving the loss of a loved one to cancer find comfort and support in outlets such as therapy, support groups, or simply opening up to friends and family.
In an interview with SurvivorNet, Doug Wendt, who lost his wife Alice to ovarian cancer, said of the grieving process: “We're never gonna move on, I don't even think I want to move on, but I do want to move forward. That's an important distinction and I encourage anybody who goes through this journey as a caregiver and then has to face loss, to think very carefully about how to move forward."
While moving forward takes tremendous time and is an emotional process, it is possible. Time does not heal all wounds, but it can make those wounds easier to bear. As Travolta copes with the loss of his wife, we send him support as he moves through this difficult time.
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