Barry Manilow was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer in November
NEED TO KNOW
In a new PEOPLE cover story, he opens up about his diagnosis and the treatment that left him cancer free
"I thought I might be dying," Manilow says of learning that he had cancer
He made it through the rain — nowBarry Manilowis opening up about his "nightmare"lung cancer diagnosisand treatment.
In December, the music icon, 82, revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer and wasundergoing treatment. Now in an exclusive PEOPLE cover story, Manilow — who just announced that his 33rd studio album,What a Time, will drop June 5 — is detailing the experience for the first time.
"You just don't even think about [how fragile life is]. And suddenly, you have lung cancer. But I'm still here. I'm not all here; there's part of me that isn't here — they took out a part of me, and now I've got to figure out, 'What do I do?'" Manilow says.
In November, Manilow's hips were bothering him, so he went to the doctor, who ordered an MRI for his pelvis, then for his lungs when he learned the singer had recently weathered two bouts of bronchitis.
"If he hadn't done that, man ... He saved my life, because there's no symptoms for what I had. I could go on, nothing hurt — but they found the dot in my lung," Manilow says. "They called me and said, 'Could be cancer.' That's a bad word. 'Not me. F--- you. I can't have cancer.'"
More tests confirmed his doctors' suspicion: He had stage 1 lung cancer.
"They don't even know how long I had this thing sitting on me. It could have been years," he says. "If it had gone any further, then I would be up s---'s creek. It just so happened that it hadn't spread, and boy oh boy, I thought I might be dying."
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Four week later, Manilow checked into the hospital to undergo a lobectomy to remove the diseased part of the lung. Following the successful surgery, he spent seven daysin the ICUbefore being discharged. "I don't remember it, thank goodness, because it was a nightmare," Manilow says of his hospital stay. "I'm one of the lucky ones; I don't have to have chemo, radiation and all that stuff."
Now cancer free, the Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner has plenty to celebrate. In March, his new song "Once Before I Go" became a top 10 single, making him the only artist in history to notch an adult contemporary hit in six consecutive decades. And in June, he'll release,What a Time.
Through the ordeal, Manilow has received support from his husband and manager, Garry Kief, as well as friends, family and his beloved Fanilows. Despite his health challenges and uncertain future, Manilow is at peace.
"It has really, really made me take stock of my life. This made me stop and think about: Have I done what I wanted to do, and have I made people happy? Have I been a good friend? All of those cornball things that I've read for all of my life, I started to think about that, too. It really did stop me in my tracks," he says of going through cancer. "And the answers are yes. And as a matter of fact, there are more yeses than I ever thought."
Manilow is still on a long road to recovery, though. The future of his performing career hangs in the balance as the "Copacabana (At the Copa)" singer continues to recover from his cancer treatment, which resulted in the removal of one of his left lung's two lobes, which deliver oxygen to the bloodstream. At press time, he was scheduled to resume hisongoing farewell arena tourafter postponing dates amid his health crisis.
"This really rocked me," he says, "but I'm getting stronger."
For more on Barry Manilow, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
Read the original article onPeople
