‘Dirty Dancing’ legend Patrick Swayze was convinced he would beat pancreatic cancer

Posted on Thursday, August 18, 2011 at 09:40 AM

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The late actor during his last stages

The 'Dirty Dancing' star passed away from pancreatic cancer in September 2009 at the age of 57 and while he was given no chance of survival when he was first diagnosed, he was sure he could conquer the disease.

His mother Patsy Swayze said: "It was a massive shock to everybody in the family when he found out. He was always so healthy. He had never had any serious illnesses or anything. We were all devastated.

"But he just kept working right up until the day he couldn't work anymore and he never complained. He never acted sad – he would go and do things and make personal appearances and people wouldn't know how much pain he was in.

"I knew – but he never talked about it. He was convinced he was going to live through it and never lost hope. He never wanted sympathy, he just kept going. Even when he was so sick he could hardly walk, you wouldn't know it. He never wanted to be a burden."

Patsy, 84, is still so devastated by Patrick's death and can't bring herself to watch his films because it's too hard to see him.

She said: "I don't know if I'll ever be able to watch them again – it hurts too much. You know you're not supposed to outlive your children. I still find it so hard to talk about his passing but, you know, he was so brave." Patrick was survived by his wife Lisa, who he married in 1975.
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bobby | Jun 01, 2012, 11:45 AM EDT

I met him in London a really nice man, so friendly, that picture above, come on guys at irish central.

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GeorgeDillon | Mar 26, 2012, 12:39 PM EDT

A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is a death sentence. All that remains to be decided is the date of death.

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skerryc | Feb 19, 2012, 11:00 AM EST

Poor Patrick. My heart goes out to him. No one can beat Pancreatic Cancer. This is the most dreadful cancer to have. God Bless Him. xxx

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abhainn | Jan 09, 2012, 10:45 AM EST

That picture of Amy Andrews looks so much like a blow-up doll that the resemblance must have been intentionally staged for a laugh, right?

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paddyRanger | Jan 07, 2012, 12:01 PM EST

Amazing, an article about a true good guy who passed away too young, and some liberal low life has to drag in Bush, Blair and McNamara..........."merefalow" your a disgrace

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merefalow | Nov 03, 2011, 01:37 PM EDT

saw him on a chat show,came across as such a nice everyday decent man,in spite of the fact he was a real megastar,most people i read about who knew him said he was a great guy..what can you say,,the good die young,there are a lot i would wish went before him.dare i name them,not till i have had a few jd,s blair ,bush,mcnamara,neo comn war mongering p....ps watch out for the hit on iran..

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SeamusRua | Oct 19, 2011, 09:18 PM EDT

On 10-10-70 my maternal grandfather went to hospital on a Monday morning. Saturday morn he was dead.

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ILM1148 | Oct 19, 2011, 10:31 AM EDT

Oddly enough my friend's husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 20 plus years ago and is still here. So some do make it.

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brianmack | Oct 16, 2011, 07:58 PM EDT

A horrible form of cancer. Personally, I think this is a dietary precursor.

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bogsidebunny | Oct 08, 2011, 09:09 AM EDT

My father died of pancreatic cancer in 1980 after being diagnosed a little over a year prior and undergoing a massive operation. The doctors then were very open. he had a little time but there was NO chance of a cure. that's as true today as it was 31-years ago. Pancreatic cancer is a death sentence. The time frame can be as little as 3-weeks after diagnosis or prolonged depending on the treatment. But the results are eventually the same.

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 04, 2011, 12:37 PM EDT

I'm afraid that if you get a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer it's time to start settling your affairs. There are cases in the literature of people who did beat it for a while, but it's like being stalked on a quiet street late at night. You look behind and see nothing--but that doesn't mean there's nothing there.

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