Crohn's disease when she was 13, breast cancer at the age of 34, and supraventricular tachycardia aged 39. In 2013, Anastacia was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time. In recognition of her decade-long charitable efforts in breast cancer awareness, Anastacia became the second woman ever to be presented with the Humanitarian Award at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in 2013. Life and career 1968–1998: Early life and career beginnings Anastacia was born in Chicago, Illinois; her late father Robert Newkirk (of German descent) was a club-singer and her mother Diane Hurley (of Irish descent) an actress on Broadway. Her parents split up when she was five years old. After her father (who had bipolar disorder) left the Newkirk family, they moved to a one-bedroom apartment in New York City when she was a teenager. She enrolled at the Professional Children's School in Manhattan. After graduation, she worked jobs at restaurants and hair salons while pursuing a career in the music industry. Anastacia was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when she was thirteen. Despite her ongoing health problems Anastacia continued to pursue her ambitions for the next decade. Anastacia started her career in 1983 as a dancer for hire. Her first claim to fame was as a professional dancer (dancer for hire), making regular appearances in the mid-1980s and early 1990s on MTV's Club MTV. She appeared in two music videos for American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa ("Get Up Everybody (Get Up)" in 1988 and "Twist and Shout" in 1989). In 1990, she started her musical career as a backing vocalist. She sang back-up vocals on pop star Tiffany's New Inside album in 1990. In 1991, she featured in the music video for "My Fallen Angel" by Dominican singer Coro. In 1992, she gained her first break as a solo singer on BET's television series ComicView, singing Oleta Adams' "Get Here". In 1993, she moved to Los Angeles to record the song "One More Chance" for the producer OG Pierce, but it brought no record deal. That same year, she recorded a collaboration with David Morales called "Forever Luv". Throughout the mid-1990s producers claimed to be intrigued by her voice's unusual tone, but Anastacia would be continuously told that "her sound just didn't quite fit into any category". In 1994, she sang back-up vocals on Jamie Foxx debut album Peep This, and in 1995, Anastacia sang back-up on