It was only a matter of time before we saw this headline:
Patrick Swayze, star of Dirty Dancing and Ghost, dead of pancreatic cancer at age 57.
A few years back, I had the opportunity to walk with my family in a 5k to raise money for pancreatic cancer research. Now, at the three breast cancer walks I’ve participated in, there are many survivors. In fact, during the closing ceremonies of the Komen 3 Day, the survivors come in at the end and stand in the center and all of the walkers applaud for them. At the pancreatic cancer walk, there was one survivor…maybe two? The disease often goes undetected for months, so that when it finally is discovered that someone has pancreatic cancer, it’s often too late to do anything. I knew that when Patrick Swayze was diagnosed that this wouldn’t end well, and frankly I’m surprised and amazed he hung in there this long.
I hope now that a celebrity from *my era* has given this disease such a public face that pancreatic cancer will begin to see the research dollars it so desperately needs to up the survival rate for this disease. If you’re interested in supporting a great cause, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network would be most appreciative of your time, talent, or monetary donations.
Rest in Peace Patrick.