On the Anniversary of Swayze's Death
- Patrick Swayze died 11 years ago of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer
- Swayze fought his cancer for nearly two years after his diagnosis
- We're encouraged by the success Alex Trebek and Harry Reid have seen in their battle
Swayze was a beloved movie star. Those who grew up in the 80s will forever remember him from hits like The Outsiders, Road House, and Point Break which cemented his place as a Hollywood heart-throb. And thanks to his turns as the dreamy romantic lead in movies like Ghost and Dirty Dancing, we'll never look at a pottery wheel or a watermelon the same way again.
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First Symptoms
When Swayze noticed symptoms of his cancer in December 2007, he was just 55 years old. He assumed those symptoms would go away. In his memoir published the year he died, The Time of My Life, Swayze wrote: "I had been having some digestive trouble, mostly acid reflux and a kind of bloated feeling, for a few weeks."Swayze penned in his vulnerable and heartfelt memoir, "I've had a sensitive stomach my whole life, so I hadn't thought much of it, but lately I just couldn't shake the constant discomfort."
His cancer progressed, and in January 2009, a noticeably thin Swayze told Barbara Walters in a touching ABC interview, "I'm going through hell." But Swayze was determined to fight, telling Walters, "I've never been one to run from a challenge." He also admitted his fear of his cancer in the interview, saying he was scared about the diagnosis and felt anxiety and anger. In spite of his fear, Swayze said he wanted to continue a good quality of life and try to finish accomplishing the things he still wanted to do.
Dr. Anirban Maitra explains why screening for pancreatic cancer is difficult
How Others Are Fighting
It's been 11 years since Swayze's death, and we've seen notable success stories, like Senator Harry Reid and Alex Trebek.
Senator Harry Reid's Experimental Treatment with Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong
When Senator Harry Reid had a colonoscopy in 2018, his doctors noticed something that concerned them. They encouraged him to get an MRI to check things out further.
Like Swayze, Reid was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He, however, credits access to a new therapy with saving his life. In an interview with SurvivorNet, Senator Reid shared that the experimental treatment he received for his pancreatic cancer was a success.
Reid went to Los Angeles to begin treatment there. His doctor, the renowned oncologist Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, developed the treatment, a new type of immunotherapy that activates multiple parts of the immune system to attack pancreatic cancer tumors.
Alex Trebek Continues Asking the Questions
While most of us know him as the lovable host from Jeopardy!, Alex Trebek is also a survivor fighting a pancreatic cancer battle. Trebek's inspiring resilience throughout his cancer journey gives hope to many.
After being diagnosed in March 2019, Trebek continued, quite impressively, hosting Jeopardy!. The energetic 80-year-old, who has been battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, has said the support shown from his fans has inspired him.
Like Senator Reid, Trebek is undergoing an experimental immunotherapy treatment and it’s working. "I'm on the right track," Trebek said on Good Morning America. "They do a blood test to see where my numbers are. Eight weeks ago, the numbers were at about 3500; now they're below 100."
The success of Trebek's and Reid's experimental treatments have inspired others. Their stories are ones of hope, resilience, and determination to overcome their disease. As we remember the tragic loss of Patrick Swayze, there's great comfort to be found in the inspiring strides made in pancreatic cancer treatment since his death.
Dr. Allyson Ocean explains why pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat
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