Worth Fighting For

November 7, 2011
Niemi’s previous memoir, co-written with husband Patrick Swayze (The Time of My Life), appeared just after his death from pancreatic cancer, in 2009, and elaborates on his dancing and acting career (Dirty Dancing, etc.) and the couple’s long, tight-knit marriage, since 1975. This work essentially delineates his sudden diagnosis in January 2008, and the tenacious struggle the two underwent to try to prolong his life—sometimes with experimental treatment, as the cancer was aggressive and had no cure. A large tumor on his pancreas was blocking the drainage of his stomach, so that Swayze also had a hard time eating; because of the advanced nature of the disease, he was not a candidate for a “cyberknife” procedure or radiation, but he did finally qualify for a Stanford University trial study employing the new drug PTK, also called Vatalanib, along with an IV chemotherapy administered once a week. Yet the cancer continued its debilitating course, and as the news of his illness spread around the world, it created a deluge of well-wishers as well as importunate inquiries. Niemi writes movingly of trying to keep a positive outlook, staying organized with drugs, treatments, and foods for her husband, employing relatives as helpers and researchers, and, most of all, using the time she and Swayze had left together to enjoy and appreciate each other. It’s a heartfelt account, both brave and honorable.