Patrick Swayze's Battle with Pancreatic Cancer
Friends and family have revisited Patrick Swayze’s prolonged fight against pancreatic cancer as August 18 — what would have been his 73rd birthday — arrives.
Diagnosis and Early Awareness
Swayze was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in January 2008. He died on September 14, 2009, at age 57, about a year and a half after learning of the illness.
Those close to the actor say he understood the severity of his prognosis early on. After his diagnosis he told his wife Lisa Niemi, “I’m a dead man,” a remark she later recalled as reflecting his knowledge of how grim pancreatic cancer often is.
Medical Advice and Personal Determination
Doctors were candid about his condition, advising that aggressive treatment was possible but recommending he consider getting his affairs in order. Niemi said the couple poured their energy into efforts to keep him alive.
Swayze's Courage and Treatment
In interviews after the diagnosis, Swayze acknowledged the fear and difficulty of the road ahead but insisted he would face it head-on. He told interviewer Barbara Walters that he had never shied awa...