Dolly Parton offered to try experimental drugs if “no hope” in her cancer battle

Dolly Parton‘s sister, Stella Parton, said the country music icon offered to try experimental drugs if there was “no hope” in her cancer battle, in an effort to help others.

“What the world saw is exactly who she was, so much so, she told me recently that if there was no hope for her, she would still allow her medical team to try experimental drugs in the hope of helping others in the future,” Stella Parton said in a Facebook post.

“My sister was always thinking of others and if you want to honor her legacy, show more kindness, lift others up and give more of your time and resources as she continued to do to the very end,” Stella Parton wrote.

Dolly Parton was widely recognized for her philanthropy. Through the Dollywood Foundation, founded in 1988, she worked to improve education in her hometown and later expanded those efforts by covering higher-education costs for Dollywood employees. She also created the Imagination Library, which provides free books to young children. In 2020, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University’s COVID-19 research, which contributed to the development of the Moderna vaccine.

Dolly Parton died Tuesday after a brief battle with cancer. She was 80. Following her death, politicians, including President Trump, and celebrities, including her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, mourned the loss of the country music legend and praised her as an icon whose legacy will never be forgotten.

Last October, Dolly Parton’s sister, Freida Parton, raised concerns about the singer’s health by asking fans to pray for her, though Dolly Parton later said she was OK. In May, Dolly Parton said she was responding well to treatment for health issues, including kidney stones, but canceled upcoming Las Vegas performances because she wasn’t ready to return to the stage.

Dolly Parton grew up in poverty in rural Tennessee as the fourth of 12 children. Stella Parton was the sixth of 12 children and also had a career in the music industry. 

Stella Parton said she and Dolly Parton had weekly coffee dates on Tuesday mornings, adding that her “Tuesday morning coffee time will never be the same but [Dolly Parton’s] love, respect and goodness will remain.”

“If anyone gets to heaven I’m sure she made it right on time. I know she’s showing out big time, in all her sparkles and shine. That was my sister’s way,” Stella Parton wrote.