Farrah Fawcett Foundation to pay tribute to star 'determined to live life' in face of terminal diagnosis
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Charlie's Angels' star Farrah Fawcett had a strong sense of determination and was deeply in love with life. She never showed signs of giving up despite receiving a deadly cancer diagnosis, according to her friend, who claims that she had always "wanted to live."
Fawcett was nominated for six Golden Globe Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards and reportedly displayed incredible bravery in how she handled the illness. In 2007, months after physicians declared the 'Charlie's Angels' actress cancer-free, she found that illness was back. The TV legend had been battling anal cancer since 2006. Fawcett died at the age of 62 in 2009, surrounded by her longtime partner Ryan O'Neal and friends Alana Stewart and Mela Murphy.
How did Farrah Fawcett die?
Farrah Fawcett died of anal cancer 14 years ago. She received her initial diagnosis in 2006, and the next year she was told she was free of the disease. However, the cancer came back a few months later and had spread to her liver. She died at 62.
Anal cancer is extremely uncommon, but if detected early, it is quite treatable, according to Dr Julian Sanchez, a surgeon at Moffitt Cancer Center's Gastrointestinal Oncology Clinic. The early or middle-stage disease typically receives chemotherapy and radiation treatment, and its five-year survival rate ranges from 80 to 95 percent. Friends of Fawcett claim that the actress displayed symptoms for a protracted length of time before seeking medical attention. "Putting diagnosis and treatment on the back burner led to the poor prognosis," said Sanchez. "In most cases, these symptoms do not appear overnight. Patients frequently experience symptoms like discomfort and bleeding."
'It’s easy to put aside symptoms'
Alana Stewart, a close friend of the late icon and president of the Farrah Fawcett Foundation, claims that the actress displayed some symptoms while she was caring for her mother in Texas for a few months. Later, the matriarch died in 2005 at the age of 91. "Her mother was dying," Stewart recounted. "And then she started having a few symptoms while she was there [in Texas] but ignored them. She was taking care of her mom and that was her focus. But when she came back, Ryan said, 'You’ve got to go to the doctor and get this checked out.' So she did. They did a colonoscopy and that’s when they found it." According to Stewart, if she had paid attention to her health when she first started experiencing symptoms and seen a doctor, perhaps the situation might have been different. The friend continued, "It’s so easy to put aside any symptoms because you think, ‘Oh, it’s not serious,’ or, ‘I’ll just deal with it next week, next month,'" as cited by Fox News.
'She was such a fighter'
Stewart, who will be overseeing the upcoming 'Tex-Mex Fiesta' fundraiser in honor of the late star, told Fox News, "Right up until the very end, she was such a fighter." She added, "Farrah was a very determined person in everything she did," Stewart continued. "She looked at cancer as a battle that she was determined to win. She didn’t like to lose. She was very competitive. She was determined to win this battle. She was determined to start her foundation, run it and live her life."
'She wanted to live'
Stewart went on to say that the icon persisted when many others would have given up. She underwent numerous grueling treatments and handled everything with tremendous dignity, elegance, and bravery. "It’s sad to say that she lost this battle, but in a way, I think it was her finest hour. She showed the world what she was made of… She loved life. She wanted to live. She wanted to be there for her son and Ryan. No one wants to die, but she had such a determination to not give up. And she was so determined right until the very end," the friend said. Fawcett traveled to Germany on multiple occasions in order to receive alternative medical care that was prohibited in the US. The celebrity decided to film her trip in a video diary that became the documentary 'Farrah's Story'. Stewart was with her on the journey.
'It wasn’t a word people were afraid to say anymore'
Stewart indicated that the star wanted to keep everything private. Later, they were forced to go public after rumors spread. But after that, many people wrote her letters of gratitude for speaking up. They all revealed so many personal anecdotes. "So many of them described feeling alone. Anal cancer has such a shameful connotation… But after she spoke out, people learned about it. It wasn’t a word people were afraid to say anymore," according to the friend. "She didn’t want to give up."