Patrick Swayze's cancer diagnosis made his widow feel 'like a nail was being hammered into' her 'own coffin'

Patrick Swayze's widow, Lisa Niemi Swayze, is sharing really she felt successful nan moments aft learning her hubby had been diagnosed pinch pancreatic cancer.

While speaking to People astir her business pinch nan non-profit statement Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Lisa went into item astir what her framework of mind was for illustration erstwhile she heard her husband's diagnosis.

"It was nan worst nighttime of my life," she told nan outlet. "I cognize [Patrick] said, ‘I'm a dormant man,’ but for maine even, that night, I slept successful nan infirmary room pinch him connected nan cot. I felt for illustration a nail was being hammered into my ain coffin. Your life turns connected a dime, and there's nary escaping nan reality of what that test means. It’s conscionable awful. It's conscionable a dreadful moment."

Lisa went connected to explicate that by nan clip Patrick was diagnosed, "it was intolerable to move around." She added they were happy "he miraculously managed to past 22 months aft that."

Lisa recalled emotion for illustration she was being nailed into her casket aft proceeding her hubby had cancer. (Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)

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Lisa explained "one of nan things that sewage [her] through" nan play of clip pursuing Patrick's decease successful September 2009 was nan changeless reminder to herself that "people do this each nan time."

"And that's arsenic achy arsenic it is because I thought, ‘This is going to termination me. Grief is going to termination me,’" she told People. "But you cognize what? It doesn't termination everybody. If they tin do it, truthful tin I."

In a abstracted question and reply connected nan "Amy and T.J. Podcast," Lisa shared Patrick's first guidance to his crab diagnosis, explaining he knew it wasn't going to extremity good for him. She admitted she didn't cognize overmuch astir pancreatic cancer, but that Patrick had known others who were diagnosed and died from it, and told her, "I'm a dormant man," soon aft proceeding nan news.

From nan infinitesimal they heard nan diagnosis, Lisa explained, "every ounce of power we had was gonna spell into helping him live." 

Lisa antecedently said Patrick knew he was "a dormant man" erstwhile he first heard his diagnosis. (Peter Timm\ullstein bild via Getty Images)

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"It’s conscionable ne'er gonna beryllium nan aforesaid aft that," she explained. "Everything shifted. We ever called ourselves optimistic realists, because we knew successful each likelihood really this was gonna move out, but we held retired that he would beryllium nan 1 to make it done it, because miracles do happen. We kept truthful affirmative astir everything, but I show you what, it was for illustration surviving successful a complete nightmare 24/7."

Shortly aft Patrick's death, Lisa attended her first ever PurpleStride event, held by PanCan, successful an effort to raise consciousness of nan illness and backing for research. 

Since then, she has maintained her relationship to nan organization, saying she does truthful "in grant of Patrick" and her committedness to "finish[ing] nan fight that he fought truthful difficult for, fought truthful difficult to win." She added that "just because he is gone, it doesn't mean it's over, and I want to support it going for him."

"I person heavy admiration for everybody that shows up connected these walks and continues this conflict and continues nan awareness, because it's not easy," she told People. "It brings up each these very achy feelings, for illustration it does for maine still. But you cognize what? We do it because we attraction astir nan ones who are successful nan fight. We attraction astir nan ones that we lost."

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Lisa explained she is committed to continuing her husband's fight.  (Getty Images)

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The five-year-survival complaint for pancreatic cancer has risen to 13%, according to nan American Cancer Society's Cancer Facts & Figures 2024. However, Lisa says, "we've sewage to do amended than that."