Patrick Swayze Stopping Cancer Treatment?
Rumor is that actor Patrick Swayze, who disclosed his cancer diagnosis a few months go and who was recently hospitalized with pneumonia, has decided enough is enough and he is discontinuing his treatments:
The 56-year-old is said to have made the decision after doctors told him there was little they could do to stop the progress of his illness, according to reports from US magazine The National Enquirer.
The Dirty Dancing star was diagnosed twelve months ago with pancreatic cancer, one of the most virulent forms of the disease.
Medical experts say most patients have less than six months to live after being diagnosed with such cancer.
Swayze had been determined to fight but earlier this month suffered a setback when he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia.
He was released on January 16 after a week under doctors’ supervision.
The magazine claimed the Ghost star was now growing increasingly weak.
A family friend told the Enquirer: ‘There’s nothing more doctors can do for him.
‘We are down to the wire and the goal now is to keep Patrick comfortable.
‘His condition is inoperable and they have stopped the chemo. He’s still losing weight and he’s very weak.’
The friend added: ‘Patrick regards himself as a cowboy, and is determined to die with his boots on and no regrets.’
Now, yes, it is the National Enquirer via the Daily Mail, both of whom have been known to get their stories crooked (as opposed to straight). But lately the NE has been doing a good job of not only breaking news but actually getting it right when they do.
You’ll recall his words a while back when he sat down for an interview with Barbara Walters:
“I’ve never been one to run from a challenge,” Swayze told Barbara Walters in his first interview since his cancer diagnosis last January.
Still, when asked if he was scared, Swayze told Walters, “I don’t know. I will be so either truthful or stupid as to say no. But then I immediately, when I say that, I have to say yes, I am.”
“You can bet that I’m going through hell,” Swayze said. “And I’ve only seen the beginning of it.” [...]
Beating the odds, Swayze has lived with his cancer for a year and has stayed out of the spotlight, except when he appeared on the televised “Stand Up to Cancer” fundraiser last September. The crowd leapt to its feet when he walked onstage.
“I keep dreaming of a future, a future with a long and healthy life,” Swayze said, “not lived in the shadow of cancer, but in the light.”
Regardless of whether or not this turns out to be true, we wish Patrick and his lovely wife Lisa all the best and our prayers and thoughts are with them.
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I think this man has behaved every inch the hero with courage, grace, humor and dignity. Nothing else to say but thank you for showing us a life well-lived.
Comment by Artoo45 — January 29, 2009 @ 3:26 pm
He is putting up a good fight, there are many many smokers and drinkers that face this end everyday without so much as a whisper about who they were or anyone to stand by them. It is a horrible end for anyone. I hope people take notice of how devastating this is to family and friends. And just how addictive these killers are, when Barbara Walters asked why are you still smoking the answer was “It’s not my priority right now!” I guess I have to agree with that statement because there is no turning back now, and it is sad but the statistics do not lie. Our bodies are like making bank deposits what you put in is what you have to draw on later in life, some spend it all at once, lets learn from this and the other high profile life stories we will witness and wake up.
Comment by DJ — May 21, 2009 @ 9:21 pm