Swayze in a promotional photo for “The Beast”
We have a loose policy that we started a few months ago that we don’t report on celebrities’ serious medical conditions unless they personally confirm the news. For instance there were reports before Paul Newman passed that he took a turn for the worse but it just didn’t seem right to mention it. Christina Applegate’s double mastectomy was reported by outlets before she broke the news herself, but we decided not to cover that story until she went public with it. I’m not saying we’re noble by any stretch of the imagination and we surely talk plenty of other crap and innuendo about celebrities. Somehow it just doesn’t seem right to discuss their health problems, especially when they’re life-threatening.
Patrick Swayze has been suffering from pancreatic cancer since March, at which point the tabloids reported that doctors gave him five weeks to live. It’s one of the deadliest of cancers and has a poor prognosis. He’s had top notch doctors and the best treatment including experimental “cyber knife” surgery, and generally seems to be doing ok. He finished work on his new series for A&E, “The Beast,” last week and attended the wrap party with his wife and brother. His co-stars attested to his positive attitude and general vigor on set.
The tabloids reported this week that despite all the seemingly positive news about Swayze’s condition, his cancer has spread and that he’s been saying his tearful goodbyes to family. He says it’s just not true, though, and is particularly hurtful to him at a time when he’s trying to heal:
“I’m very proud of the work I’ve done on my new series The Beast, and I am happy to be back home for the holidays. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment to say you’re gonna do something and do it,” says the actor, 56.
“The only thorn in my side being that many tabloids have been consistently reporting lies and false information about me and those close to me. And latest, they’re reporting that I’m on my last legs and saying goodbye to my tearful family!
“Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease and from the moment I was diagnosed, I knew I was in for the fight of my life. It’s a battle, and so far, I’ve been winning. I’m one of the lucky few that responds well to treatment.
“It’s upsetting that the shoddy and reckless reporting from these publications cast a negative shadow on the positive and good fight I’m fighting. For me, my family, and those close to me, it amounts to downright emotional cruelty. That makes me angry when hope is so precious.”
He concludes, “As always, I appreciate all the love and support people have sent and continue to send my way. I thank you.”
[From People]
Good for Swayze for clearing up the rumors, but he really shouldn’t have to. Whatever is going on with his health, there are some things that we just don’t need to read about in the tabloids.
“The Beast” premieres January 15 at 10pm on A&E.
I happen to work in the area of cancer. There is very little chance of walking away from pancreatic cancer. He may have bought himself some time, but to publicly state that he was lucky to respond and to he will walk away from this disease is not going to happen. I wish him the best and hope he continues to fulfill his wishes in the time he is here.
That’s not the point Gigohead. The point is that tabloid reporting ought to have at least one let’s-don’t-go-there-zone. If CB can do it so can anyone else. As for a cure for Patrick Swayze I believe that even if he isn’t cured, the time he’s buying with hope and faith is much better quality because of it AND haven’t you EVER seen something happen that you or those around you cannot possibly explain?
He’s responding because he’s not not dealing with hospitals, that only kill you quicker, as far as Cancer is concerned. Cancer is a chronic fungal infection. He’s juicefeasting every day, off meat, living on live, raw foods. Doctors only treat the symptoms, they don’t care about fixing the underlying issue, that you got Cancer from in the first place. More people are killed by chemo & radiation, than saved. That’s a fact, look it up!
I agree, Aussie. Didn’t know about the chronic fungal infection thing, though.
The money’s in the medicine, that’s why there will never be a cure.
I’m glad he’s doing good, and I’ve asked this before, can’t anyone sue for all the blatant lies being printed about them??
Aussie, please clarify that chronic fungal infections MAY be a cause for cancer. As there are many different types of cancer there is scope for an infinite combination of factors which cause the disease.
Could you provide a link to the sources you’re referring to.
Hang in there Patrick !
We all wish you well Patrick.
how wonderful that you can report on the injustice of the reporting(interestingly, while providing “details”) and take no credit for its rampantness! that is so…um…yeah. “There are some things we don’t need to read about in the tabloids”…is the irony lost on you?
LMAO Karen…
That’s a pretty big slice of righteous pie, there, for a girl who reads tab news.
Oh…that was my first good giggle of the day.
@ Gigohead: I’m not mentioning this as though you don’t already know, but for lay people: according to the current stats, 5% of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer will still be alive after 5 years, 15% if diagnosed very early. While I understand that in your line of work you may not hear a ton of good news, is it really a stretch to think Swayze may be in that 5-15%?
Be well, Patrick 😀
Forgive me some cheesy cheering, but it’s Patrick Swayze after all. My childhood crush!
I wish you all the best Patrick. Hang in there, I know you’ll gonna make it! You go Boy! 😀 All my love to you and your family!! 🙂
“Cancer is a chronic fungal infection.”
No, it most definitely is not. I work for a teaching hospital, and have a long history of cancer in my own family, so I have had the misfortune of dealing with this disease several times, including with my own husband. His melanoma was NOT a fungus. My grandfather’s pancreatic cancer was NOT a fungus. My 3 aunts who died of breast cancer-NOT fungus, Gramma’s bran tumor…still NOT fungus. Believe whatever crackpot theories you like, but please don’t spread your misinformation as if they were fact. It is extremely insulting to those of us who have had to deal with this disease so many times with those that we love.
That being said, I hope that he continues to have success with his treatments. I agree, there is no escaping the inevitable with pancreatic cancer…but I hope that his quality of life can be improved and that his life be lengthened with those treatments.
I think blogs have a right and a responsibility as well to determine what kind of gossip they report. Gossip isn’t the same as celebrity news. Right now the morbid speculation around Swayze’s health condition about the cancer spreading to his liver is gossip – rumour. If and when that is confirmed, it becomes news.
If there was no gossip, we’d have a heckuva lot less to read but at the same time I think it behooves us to be mindful of celebrities, who are people, struggling with health afflictions and respect their hardship and what they’re going through – for us to stop being voyeurs for a moment.
Bad things befall each and every one of us without us wishing it on other people. While the tone of the Swayze posts are certainly different from those of Winona Ryder or Britney Spears, I very much feel the same thing applies.
Anyway, I hope Patrick lives fully and happily for as long as he can. That’s all any of us can hope for.
Lauri: Thank you. I agree in full.
Lauri, thanks for posting that. My MiL died of inflammatory breast cancer two years ago, and it was NOT a fungal infection. And as far as hospitals “killing” cancer patients–why has the survival rate of so many cancers increased hugely in the last twenty-five years if hospitals are killing patients and doctors are only out for the money? While pancreatic cancer still has an extremely dismal survival rate, many cancers are now considered to be more of a chronic disease. And many cancers that were once a death sentence are now readily cured if caught early enough. We still have a very, very long way to go, but cancer treatments are much, much better than they were even five years ago.
True, Pencils. The survival rate for leukemia (especially in children) has increased hugely.
Although I’m not a raw food Nazi, I do agree that we all could live a lot healthier. Obesity increases your risk for breast and colon cancer, low residue diets increase your risk for colon cancer, and smoking -(blah,blah,blah for you smokers out there – say hi to my mom when you join her in the smoking section of heaven). So yeah, medicine is way to reactive and not proactive, but sometimes it does good things.
Very true, trashaddict. A lot of the diseases we see now could be prevented, or at the very least minimized, by lifestyle changes. So many people want to just live their unhealthy lifestyles then get a magic pill from their doctor that makes everything all better.
That was the major frustration for one of the docs I used to work for…patients would ignore his advise (typical stuff…lose weight, exercise, quit smoking, etc), but then would get mad at him when they didn’t get better. He was even fired by a couple of patients because he refused to prescribe motorized scooters for them! He told them that they needed to walk more, not less, so there was no way he would approve scooters…of course they dumped him and doctor-shopped until they found someone who would give them what they want.
Dear Mairead,
Check out -www.knowthecause.com and watch the interview with Dr. Tulio Simonici, a board certified oncologist from Italy who states all cancer is caused by a fungal infection.
Dee and others, Simonici is NOT a doctor, and is NOT legit. Not only was his medical license revoked for “wrongful death and swindling,” but he also continues to practice illegally, and two weeks ago my best friend’s father died under his “care” while he was administering a baking soda solution directly into the man’s brain via catheter. Oh yeah, after paying him $20,000 euro cash.
Here’s more detail on this scammer:
http://www.cancertreatmentwatch.org/reports/simoncini.shtml
His hairbrained “theory” would be laughably ignorant if it weren’t so tragically harmful to people desperately seeking hope in the face of terminal cancer. If there ever was a person in the world who deserved to get cancer themselves, the murdering, fraudulent Simonici surely is on the list.
Cancer “cure” rates have NOT gone up. Not really. Rubber numbers only make it seem so. Relative risk is confused wit Absolute risk- a common mistake when laymen, including most doctors try to understand statistics. Read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell- I mean really read it and you will be enlightened- trust me. Oh yeah- and “Life Expectancy” has NOT increased with the most common killer cancers either- again rubber numbers . Early diagnosis is the culprit not the savior! It only SEEMS that people are living longer when they are only diagnosed earlier— it is all in the numbers. It’s a game with these medical sheep- they are infected with the herd instinct and they can not get out of it. See the DVD: Healing Cancer From The Inside Out- and really WATCH it. Then and only then will you BEGIN to understand what is really happening here. Poor Patrick. What a waste. He is one of many who, like misled sheep will be led to un- necessary slaughter because of mass ignorance. God bless them all. God bless them. I probably should not post this- since it is highly unpopular- but- alas- I must. May God bless all with knowledge, wisdom more importantly, common sense, and love. Then MAYBE- just maybe there would be less fear, more action, and genuine healing for the first time in a long time. One can only hope.
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