Patrick Swayze Memoir Details Battle with Cancer
1952 - 2009
In all his 57 years, Patrick Swayze never gave up hope when times got tough. The late dancer and actor died from pancreatic cancer on Monday, and in his new memoir, "I Had the Time of My Life," we finally get a glimpse of his strength.
Swayze's new memoir chronicles his life, from a star high school athlete to classical dancer to worldwide movie star, and finally to his battle with cancer.
"When he sat down to write the book, he wanted to see if he had lived a good life," said his publisher Judith Curr, to TODAY’s Matt Lauer Wednesday in New York. Swayze wrote the book with his wife and long-time friend and companion Lisa Niemi.
"All throughout this book, you get a sense of how courageous he was and what physical strength he had and what kind of emotional energy he had to put toward this," added Curr. "And how dedicated he was to sitting down with his wife Lisa and looking at their life together, which is a great privilege."
But then in early 2008, Swayze was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer, a disease that claims over 95% of its victims. Still, Swayze refused to give in or take the easy way out.
"I continued with chemotherapy all the way through the shoot, but I never took any painkillers since they dull not only your pain but also your sharpness," Swayze wrote of the experience.
"I began thinking to myself, I’ve had more lifetimes than any 10 people put together, and it’s been an amazing ride. So this is okay," he wrote.
Perhaps the most moving parts of the book however are the passages where Swayze addresses his wife. Last year the couple renewed their wedding vows, and this is what Swayze had to say to the love the love of his life.
"Together, we’ve created journeys that were beyond anything we could imagine," Swayze told her. “We have ridden into the sunset on a white stallion, countless times. We’ve tasted the dust in the birthplaces of religions. Yet you still take my breath away. I’m still not complete until I look in your eyes. You are my woman, my lover, my mate and my lady. I’ve loved you forever, I love you now and I will love you forevermore."
"I Had the Time of My Life" hits bookshelves September 29th.
More from LimeLife:
* Play Bejeweled For FREE
* Check your Horoscope
* Test Your Celebrity Knowledge
* Ashley Greene is VMA Fashionable
* Mischa Barton Has a Boyfriend
* Dan Brown's 'The Lost Symbol'
RSS Feed
Everything I Like, Wherever I Am
