Patrick Swayze Diagnosed with Cancer

Patrick Swayze, the actor and sex-symbol who starred in films such as "Dirty Dancing" and "Road House," has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, according to a Yahoo! report.

Some media outlets have reported that Swayze is on death's door and has only weeks to live, but other reports claim he is doing well and continues to lead his normal daily life.

Swayze, 55, was reportedly told over a month ago that he had cancer.

This story speaks to me on a very personal level, as my best friend's mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just over a year ago. Since I was in high school she's been like a mother to me-giving me rides to school, letting me spend the night, giving advice. When I grew older she even let me stay in her home free of charge while I was at university.

So when I heard that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, I freaked out. I heard the word "cancer" and thought that there's nothing any doctor can do to help her and that her life would soon be over. I hadn't been through an experience where I lost someone close to me, and I had no idea how to react.

I gave her a call and spoke to her about what was going on, how she came to find out, and what she could do about it. She explained to me that she had been experiencing lower stomach pains for months, and though they weren't excruciatingly painful they were frequent and bothersome enough for her to make a doctor's appointment. When she did, they ran some tests, and a few days later she was told that she had the early stages of pancreatic cancer.

She went on to explain that it had been caught early, however, and only a cancer had developed as of yet. The doctor explained to her that she could get treatment with a single surgical procedure that would only take an hour or two.

The day before the surgery, she would drink a bottle of chemicals to flush out her system completely, then abstain from eating or drinking for the rest of the day. The procedure was to be done with a on the pancreas, cutting out the bad tissue with a laser and removing it from the body. There would be no scarring and no pain on the area afterwards, save for a bit of soreness.