What's Happening To Patrick Swayze?

Thank goodness he’s strong enough to pull through. He was so funny in “Ghost” I watched that movie several times in one week. And he was so nice in Dirty Dancing too. My sister totally loved his acting and she would have been devastated if he’d been lost to cancer (me too). But it’s also comforting to know that people can beat cancer. I really hope my uncle Harry (my mum’s brother) can pull through too, as he has bowel cancer. I know it’s important to think positive. <3

Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late January 2008, and has been undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments at the Stanford University Medical Center. A March 5, 2008 Reuters article reports that Swayze “has a very limited amount of disease, and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far”. Swayze’s doctor has confirmed the actor has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but insists he’s not as close to death as reports suggest. Specifically, Swayze was diagnosed with a type of pancreatic tumor called Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm (IPMN).

In early May 2008, it was widely reported in a number of tabloids that Swayze had undergone surgery to remove part of his stomach after the spread of the cancer, and that he had rewritten his will, transferring his property to his wife. In a statement made on May 28, Swayze said that he continues to respond well to treatment at Stanford University Medical Center. In late May 2008 he was seen at a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game, his first public appearance since his diagnosis.

In late July 2008, six months after allegedly being given just weeks to live by medical experts, Swayze was seen in Los Angeles LAX airport appearing healthy. When asked about his condition, he told reporters “I’m cooking. I’m a miracle dude, I don’t know why”.

Swayze appeared on the ABC, NBC, and CBS simulcast of Stand Up to Cancer in September 2008, to appeal to the general public for donations for the initiative. Swayze said to a standing ovation, “I dream that the word ‘cure’ will no longer be followed by the words ‘it’s impossible’. Together we can make a world where cancer no longer means living with fear, without hope, or worse”.After the show ended, Swayze lingered onstage and talked to other cancer survivors; executive producer Laura Ziskin said, “He said a beautiful thing: ‘I’m just an individual living with cancer.’ That’s how he wants to be thought of. He’s in a fight, but he’s a fighter”.

Let’s keep him in our thoughts and prayers !!