Dirty Dancing Star's Health Crisis
Patrick Swayze Diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer
Details are starting to emerge about the private battle Swayze has been facing.
Patrick Swayze, 55, best known for his role in Dirty Dancing, has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic according to a statement Swayze’s publicist, Annett Wolf, released Wednesday.
The National Enquirer originally broke the story and, through Wolf’s statement, the media found out it was true. However, The Enquirer stated Swayze had lost a considerable amount of weight, couldn’t keep any food down and had one foot in the grave with only weeks to live.
His publicist helped ease fears of fans and Hollywood alike by releasing another statement reassuring everyone that doctors caught the cancer early. Wolf stated Swayze has a “very limited amount of the disease and appears to be responding well to treatments.”
Surviving the Odds
These fears of a sudden death aren’t unwarranted. Pancreatic cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, mainly because there are few symptoms until it’s in an advanced stage and has already spread. There are new surgery techniques available for pancreatic cancer but survival rates are still low; around 30% of patients who get an operation can expect to live at least five years.
However, Swayze’s physician, Dr. George Fisher, said in this particular case they have a much better outlook than people have assumed. “All of the reports stating the time frame of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic,” Fisher stated.
Even with less-than-stellar odds against him, Swayze is still going strong and continuing to work through treatment. He shot a pilot called for a show called The Beast which network A&E might be picking up.
Swayze's Past
His mother owned a ballet studio while he was growing up and he took up dancing. His dance moves on the stage and rugged looks led him into the acting world. The acting and dancing combined when Swayze stared in Dirty Dancing playing Johnny Castle. He catapulted to fame with the classic line, “No one puts Baby in the corner,” and dancing with Jennifer Grey to “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”.
He went on to star alongside Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg in the romantic drama Ghost as well as being on the soundtrack to numerous movies he was in. He’s also had roles in Roadhouse, Donnie Darko and Red Dawn.
Hollywood Reacts to the News
Since the media reports are just coming in about Swayze’s health battle, many celebrities haven’t had a chance to weigh in yet. But co-star Jennifer Grey was asked about her reaction and she stated although they hadn’t talked much in the 20+ years since Dirty Dancing, she was shocked and hoped for the best.
On Thursday's episode of The View Whoopi Goldberg and the rest of the panel talked about the recent health developments. Barbara Walters talked about how she interviewed him and they danced. Whoopi had the most to say, reminiscing about her Academy Award win (attributing it to Swayze) and send a shout-out to him saying, ""Baby, as always, we want you to know, we want you to feel better. We'll talk soon, I hope."
"I have a great deal of faith in faith; if you believe something strongly enough, it becomes true for you. I would like to believe that my father is right here with me in this room and that he's my guardian angel, that there's life after death -- because if there isn't, why are we here? I don't believe that just flesh and bones can contain from the point of view of physics this very real recorded energy inside of us. Whether it's true or not, we need to believe it." - Patrick Swayze, *date unknown* (source: www.imbd.com)
