Patrick Swayze’s Widow Opens Up About the First Signs They Missed

Patrick Swayze’s widow reveals actor’s first subtle symptoms of cancer

Lisa Niemi Swayze, Patrick Swayze’s wife, vowed to raise awareness of the silent killer after her husband passed away from pancreatic cancer complications.

Niemi Swayze has dedicated her life to raising awareness of the signs of pancreatic cancer and preserving her late husband’s legacy since his passing in 2009.

Cancer symptoms in Patrick Swayze

“I know how difficult Patrick’s and my journey was with this, and I still care,” she stated. “He was taken by cancer, but he was not defeated by it. And I’ll keep fighting for him.

After receiving a cancer diagnosis in 2007, Swayze passed away less than two years later.

According to Niemi Swayze, who got married again in 2014, the actor’s initial symptoms included stomach issues and yellow eyes.

“Do my eyes look yellow?” he asked me when he approached me,” she told TODAY.

Niemi Swayze persuaded him to go to the doctor the next day despite his want to postpone it because “yellow eyes just doesn’t sound normal.”

“As soon as the doctor saw what was happening and looked at him, he sent us for a CT scan right away.”

Pancreatic cancer in Patrick Swayze
After that, we had to wait a torturous twenty-four hours to receive the reports. It was a very difficult period. “Your life suddenly changes,” she recalled.

Swayze’s pancreatic cancer was verified by an endoscopic surgery.

Niemi Swayze remembers that most doctors prepped people for the end because pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest to treat. However, the pair declined to accept the death penalty.

For as long as his body would allow, we battled it. Although the travel was difficult, it was worthwhile. Every moment is valuable when the person you love is here on Earth with you. For that extra time, every amount of fighting we engaged in was worthwhile.

Many believed that Swayze’s death was caused by his ongoing smoking habit. Swayze worked and smoked while he was receiving treatment for cancer.

Barbara Walters heard Patrick say, “I’ve really cut down.” When Marlborough Man first came out, I was one of those idiots who thought it was cool. I’m a rancher. I will tell you one thing, though. I will speak vehemently against children smoking. I’ve never smoked in front of kids for that reason.

But that wasn’t the case, according to his physician. Rather, he considered Swayze’s survival for up to two years with the illness to be “quite an accomplishment.”

“I believe there isn’t much more harm when one has already been diagnosed with cancer,” Dr. Fisher stated. “And I certainly have no objections to that if it — it seems to provide him some comfort or partly identity of who he is.”

Final remarks from Patrick Swayze

Twenty months after receiving a cancer diagnosis, Patrick Swayze passed away on September 14, 2009. Prior to his death, Patrick had given his mother a home and a monthly allowance, which his wife Lisa took over. He also bequeathed his wife his $40 million wealth.

Niemi can still remember the last words she and her husband had as they remained by his side in his last hours:

She remembered, “I love you, Patrick, and those were his last words to me.”

“I clutched Buddy’s hand as I reclined by his side and felt his pulse once more. He stopped breathing after that.

Niemi Swayze has since carried on the battle to raise awareness of the uncommon yet fatal illness.

Since 2010, she has worked with Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and lobbied for increased research funding on Capitol Hill.

“I was carrying that on for Patrick, and just because he passed away didn’t mean that fight was over,” she remarked.

Last photo Lisa Niemi, the widow of Patrick Swayze, had to make a difficult decision about whether to include a very private picture of her late husband in her memoir.

The photo, which was taken in 2009, in the latter days of Swayze’s life, depicts the adored actor sleeping, bald, and weak as his fight with pancreatic cancer came to a close.

This is the final picture of Patrick Swayze. pancreatic cancer as well. Twitter: pic.twitter.com/sL39kCJVx5

— @fchooyagresywny, Pierre Dollon’s account 4 July 2023

Niemi didn’t originally want to use the picture, but she couldn’t help but be pulled to it as she was writing Worth Fighting For: Love, Loss & Moving Forward. She wondered if Swayze, who was renowned for his strength and pride, would have liked, but in the end she chose to include it.

Niemi discussed her tough choice in an interview with Entertainment Tonight on January 3, 2012, the day she uploaded the picture online.

She clarified, “Patrick was a proud man, and being ill wasn’t always the most dignified-looking thing.” She was unsure, but she thought the picture conveyed a deep reality. She acknowledged the vulnerability and honesty of their shared journey through his illness when she said firmly, “It was the truth.”

We greatly need Lisa Niemi Swayze’s efforts to raise awareness of this terrible illness. Given how challenging it is to cure, it is crucial to recognize the early warning signs of pancreatic cancer.

To raise awareness, kindly share.