Remembering Patrick Swayze: A Hero Until The End

Before Patrick Swayze passed away from pancreatic cancer in September 2009, at the age of 57, it felt like he'd be around forever. The star of Road House seemed unstoppable, delivering hit after hit year after year. It wasn’t until January 2008, when Patrick revealed his diagnosis, that reality hit—his battle with the disease would change everything.

Brother Recalls Heartbreaking Diagnosis

In the new Paramount Network documentary, I Am Patrick Swayze, which airs Sunday, August 18, Patrick’s brother, Don Swayze, shares an intimate moment from that devastating phone call with the doctor. "I was in his kitchen, and there was a speakerphone," Don recounts. "The doctor, with absolutely no bedside manner, just blurted it out: 'Your cancer has indeed metastasized in your liver and your lungs.'"

After hearing this shocking news, Patrick clenched his jaw and walked away for about 30 seconds. Don remembers the moment vividly, noting how his brother returned with a fierce determination. "Even though it was a cancer that no one survives, I told him, 'Okay, five percent, I've seen you be in the top five percent of everything you've done—why not now?' And Patrick said, 'Damn right!'"

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Living Every Moment Like It's the Last

From Dirty Dancing to Ghost, Patrick Swayze's legacy lives on through his incredible performances. After the diagnosis, Patrick decided he wasn't going to let the disease define him. "I don’t know how to die," Don recalls Patrick saying. "I’m just going to live until I stop." And that's exactly what he did.

In his final days, Patrick took on a couple of projects, including helping his wife, Lisa Niemi, direct an episode of his last TV series, The Beast. Lisa remembers those moments fondly, saying, "He finished the series. He did everything to be there for me during that time, and I really knew that he was trying to give me a gift, which he did."

A Hero Until the End