Bruce Springsteen announced on Saturday that his wife, Patti Scialfa, has been in remission from blood cancer for over eight years. He shared the update during a virtual appearance at the Boston-based Pan-Mass Challenge, a fundraising event for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
"As you know, Patti’s been living with her multiple myeloma for over eight years, but now, thankfully, she is in remission," Springsteen told the audience. He noted that Scialfa was diagnosed with the cancer in 2018.
Springsteen, 76, spoke about the importance of medical research and the care provided by doctors and nurses. "Hope has a face. It’s our physician, who refuses to stop searching and caring. It’s our nurse, who sits beside us when we are scared," he said.
He shared that witnessing Scialfa's treatment at Dana-Farber firsthand highlighted the significance of their work. "Medical research isn’t an idea. It isn’t politics. It isn’t a line in a budget. It’s the reason families find hope when hope seems hardest to find," Springsteen stated.
Scialfa, 73, who joined the E Street Band in 1984, had previously kept her diagnosis private until 2024. She shared her journey in the documentary “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.” The guitarist explained in the documentary that touring had become a challenge due to its effects on her immune system, leading her to limit her performances.
"Every once in a while, I come to a show or two and I can sing a few songs on stage, and that’s been a treat. That’s the new normal for me right now, and I’m OK with that," Scialfa said at the time.
Springsteen and Scialfa married in 1991. They have three children: Evan, Jessica, and Sam.