(July 17, 2008)—Singer Natalie Cole is battling Hepatitis C.
A statement from her publicist says the diagnosis came after a routine examination, which turned up evidence of the virus, which she evidently got as a result of her years of drug abuse.
Her doctor says Cole "has had a terrific response to her medication" and no longer has evidence of the active virus in her system.
However, Dr. Graham Woolf of Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles says while that gives her an increased chance of being cured, Cole also has "suffered significant side effects" from the medication she had to take to fight off the virus.
Those include fatigue, muscle aches and dehydration.
In the statement, Cole says she plans to "meet this challenge with a heartfelt optimism and determination."