Posted on 01/09/2009 2:44:43 PM PST by Arizona Carolyn
Patrick Swayze checked himself into the hospital this morning suffering from a bout of pneumonia, which is said to be a complication of chemotherapy treatments for his pancreatic cancer.
Swayze appeared on television this week, giving an exclusive interview with Barbara Walters about his battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Swayze was scheduled to join his fellow co-star and producers in presenting A&E's new drama The Beast to critics, which he stars in. After realizing he would be too ill to make it, according to A&E reps, Patrick asked that the show go on and that they pass along a message from him about how "unbelievably proud" he is of the work they've done so far on the show.
"You can bet that I'm going through Hell," Swayze recently told Walters. "And I've only seen the beginning of it. There's a lot of fear here. There's a lot of stuff going on. Yeah, I'm scared. Yeah, I'm angry. Yeah, I'm asking, 'Why me?'"
When I first heard Swayze had cancer, I immediately thought “Roadhouse Curse” since Jeff Healy had recently passed from cancer when the news about Swayze came out.
It’s one with no hope of cure. Hate to write that but I learned. My dad’s was found in the earliest stages, surgery, chemo, radiation, nothing helped.
Prayers for Patrick.
Prayers for his health.
It’s a rule on FR no to talk behind another freepers back!
If you’re going to talk about me, at least have the guts of do it to my face!
We laid my sister in law to rest earlier this week (Tuesday.) She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September of 2007, she was diagnosed at Stage 4. It is very seldom caught any earlier than that. She survived 15 months from the time she was diagnosed until the time she passed from it. When she was diagnosed, she was given 3-5 months to live. She put up one hell of a fight.
My sister in law left behind two sons ages 10 and 12. Same age as my own sons.
The entire family watched the Patrick Swayze interview the other night, and it was literally like watching my sister in law pass all over again.
Mr. Swayze is now at the same place my sister in law was at in mid Sept. of 2008 - Just three months ago. He is receiving the same attempt treatment she did to stop the progression of the cancer at a very advanced stage named Chemoradiation With Oxaliplatin and 5FU for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer.
There are only two reasons this treatment is given at this advanced stage: (1) the Cancer has adapted to the previous course of treatment and is spreading, as indiciated by increased blood cell counts or (2) the cancer is under control, and the intent of placing a candidate on this drug is that a potential outcome is resection (removal) of the cancer. In the case of pancreatic cancer, it means removal of the pancreas.
In the majority of cases, patients who receive this treatment have NOT received another form of chemotherapy or radiation therapy, which would mean that they are the best candidates for this course of treatment and have a good chance for removal of the cancer. These would be patients that have had their pancreatic cancer caught in an EARLY stage.
As we know, Patrick Swayze's cancer was caught in Stage 4, which is the same as my Sister in Law's was. She also received the 5FU treatment back in Sept. of '08, however hers was a "last ditch" attempt to turn the cancer back as I suspect is the case with Mr. Swayze. Looking at him on TV was almost the same as looking at my Sister in Law, with the skin around the face completely drawn back, and how thin he was. Normally those at Stage 4 don't receive the 5FU protocol as they've typically received other chemotherapy already. One of the inclusion factors for receiving the 5FU protocol is not having received other chemo first. This is why I suspect this is a "last ditch" attempt to turn the cancer back in Mr. Swayze.
I can only hope and pray that the treatment is successful for him.
Did you know one of his very early movies was in 1983 "The outsiders" with Matt Dillon, Leif Garrett, C. Thomas Howell, Sofia Coppola, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, Tom Waits and others. Pretty impressive group that all started out together. Then in 1984 Red Dawn followed by NS series. That was when I first paid attention to him.. and Ghost will go down as one of his best of best movies. He quoted from the scene at the end when he finally ascends into heaven on the BW special...
No. It is considered polite to ping someone when you mention them.
I really wish everyone would have watched his interview with Barbara Walters, he is not in any way really feeling sorry for himself, he is not happy about gossip rags printing things about his status that are untrue and hurting his wife, brother, etc., he knows they will have to say goodby to him all too soon, and he wants to spare them the pain as long as possible.
If you don’t care why are you even here.
WOLVERINES!!!!
And God Bless. Love ya man.
I watched his Christmas movie, very cute. Watched Red Dawn a few weeks ago and Roadhouse just the other day. I may watch my NS series this weekend...
I’ll even forgive him for “She’s Like the Wind.”
I suspect it’s probably pneumocystic pneumonia, which is caused by a fungal infection. It’s always a danger for people with severely compromised immune systems, such as patients receiving aggressive chemotherapy. My grandmother contracted it when she was being treated for her liver cancer.
Prayers and thoughts for Mr. Swayze.
What was that on the special the other night he had bowing for Barbara?
LOL!
Red Dawn is #1 in my movie collection. All the others are the spaghetti westerns and Austin Powers. And I have to admit I do have in said collection The Mummy( the first one, the rest are lame)
But I digress... Prayers to Mr. Swayze
I agree. May God give him and his loved ones peace.
You said "the Cancer has adapted to the previous course of treatment and is spreading" -- which is pretty much what he said the other evening. I got cold chills when he said it, and you are correct, he looked very tired and drawn, I think he knows he is fighting the clock now. I pray I'm wrong. I like to think everyone can live to be very old and die in their sleep (call me polyana)..
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.