Patti Scialfa is speaking for the first time about her six-year journey with multiple myeloma.
The longtime E Street Band member was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2018 and has been struggling to perform ever since, she reveals in a new documentary Travel Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Scialfa (71) is married to rocker Bruce Springsteen, and has been a member of his legendary band since 1984.
Travel diarywhich premiered Sunday, Sept. 8 at the Toronto International Film Festival, follows Springsteen, 74, and his band members as they prepare and eventually embark on their first tour since 2017, which is still ongoing.
“I have been performing with this band for 40 years. With those first shows, it was so good to be back on stage. The tour became a challenge for me,” says Scialfa in the documentary. “Well, in 2018, Bruce and I did a play on Broadway. I was diagnosed with early stage multiple myeloma.”
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Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen in Los Angeles in February 2013. Kevork Djansezian/Getty
The musician explains that although the illness has forced her to be careful with the things she decides to do, it has not diminished her love for performing.
“This affects my immune system so I just have to be careful what I do and where I go,” she says in the document. “Every once in a while I get to a show or two and get to sing a few songs on stage, and that’s been a treat. It’s the new normal for me now and I’m okay with that.”
Scialfa says she especially enjoys singing “Fire” with Springsteen, her husband of 33 years, because she finds their 1977 performance of the song “very personal, in a way.” The couple – who have sons Evan, 34, and Sam, 30, and daughter Jessica, 32 – often perform the song as a romantic and playful duet.
“You get to see a side of our relationship that you don’t usually see,” she says. “Being back on stage with Bruce is great. Every night on this tour gives the band a chance to celebrate.”
The documentary marks the first time Scialfa has spoken publicly about her diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells that are found in the bone marrow and are an important part of the immune system, according to the American Cancer Society.
Springsteen, meanwhile, has dealt with his own health problems, as he announced last year that he was seeking treatment for a peptic ulcer.
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Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa perform together in New Jersey in August 1985.
Gary Gershoff/Getty
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Travel diary features interviews with more than a dozen members of the E Street Band, including the late Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici. Directed by Thom Zimny, the film offers fans an intimate look at the hard work and genuine friendship that went into their tour.
“Our new film, Travel diarywill take you on a behind-the-scenes journey from rehearsals to the shows we performed around the world this year,” Springsteen said in a recent teaser on Instagram. “You’ll experience a bit of the fun and magic that we experience every night.”
The documentary will appear on Hulu and Disney+ on October 25.
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Source: HIS Education