Rumors Flying About Patrick Swayze's Battle with Cancer

There have been rumors flying throughout the internet and media about Patrick Swayze being in dire condition due to cancer. According to a report on TMZ.com, it's slightly overstated. The report indicates the rumors about Swayze being in dire condition is incorrect. The type of cancer Swayze has according to that report from TMZ.com is Pancreatic Cancer, and is reported that he is reacting well to treatment.

As someone who saw his father suffer from colon cancer, and unfortunately pass away from it, I have to state that those spreading the rumors about Swayze being in a dire condition are rather heartless. I was in my mid twenties while I witnessed my father's battle with colon cancer. He was diagnosed after a routine yearly physical with his doctor. My father and I had actually been playing in a bridge tournament that week and he got a call in the morning before we left to go to the tournament letting him know that him and my mom needed to go into the doctor's office immediately.

I was informed that evening of my father's diagnosis. The original prognostication was that he was going to need chemotherapy and that he would most likely make a full recovery. Unfortunately though when they went in for the first surgery, the news was not good. The surgeon found that the cancer had spread to many different organs in his body and that he would need more intensive chemotherapy treatment.

My father started to attend weekly for his treatments. He did not lose all his hair as some do during these treatments, but the nausea was an issue after treatments. He was a real fighter though. He kept going to the office on the days that he felt well enough to go in, and continued to play in our weekly bridge game at the local bridge club when he felt up to it. He had good periods and bad periods from August through December of that year. We had a nice Christmas with him, but it was clear he knew something was wrong as he wanted to make sure whatever it took everyone in our family got the items they wanted for Christmas. His health turned for the worse in early January.

He and my mom actually encouraged me to enjoy a daytrip to a vacation destination the day the news came. When I returned late that night my dad and mom were waiting up for me. They then informed me that the doctor told them the chemotherapy was not working as they anticipated and the spread of the cancer was not going to stop. They gave him a couple months at best to live. My dad weakened after that as the cancer overtook his body, to the point where I would basically be what supported him as he walked down the hall and held him up. The night of the Super Bowl that year, one of his favorite quarterbacks, John Elway, won his first Super Bowl title. Unfortunately my father was so weak at that point, he could not remain awake to watch the game with us. Two days later, I arrived at the hospital after leaving work early to find he had lost his battle.

For those that feel they need to predict the worse for a cancer stricken celebrity you need to remember something, cancer is not something to entertain the members of the media, it is a serious disease and a very personal one for the victims and their families.

SOURCES:

TMZ.com. "Confirmed: Patrick Swayze Has Cancer".
URL:http://www.tmz.com/2008/03/05/confirmed-patrick-swayze-has-cancer/