My Thoughts on Patrick Swayze, His Arabian Horses and Cancer

I don't know if you saw the interview that Barbara Walters did with Patrick Swayze last week. These videos are the five parts of that interview without commercial interruption.

I watched because I know that Patrick Swayze is an Arabian horse enthusiast. He was at the US Nationals one year when I was there. I never saw the star but did hear about the poor behavior of some of his fans hanging over the rail as he was riding his class and shooting pictures, not to mention all the screaming.

Swayze hasn't tried to show his own horses since. That somehow has made me feel connected to him. The thought of not being able to pursue one's passion seems to haunt me, so I can understand how it must feel to Patrick to have one of the things he loves most (acting) cause interference with another great love in his life........Arabian horses. I'd always hoped that maybe someday his fans would get wise and let the man live and maybe he'd get to show a horse again if that's what he wanted.

Then Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year. Again, I felt a connection having battled demon cancer as it attacked my child. I hung onto my Arabian horses as a way to give me strength and get both of us through. I hoped that Swayze's Arabian horses were doing the same for him. Also I hoped he could find that same solice in their company that had been there for Lindsay and me.

When I heard that Barbara Walters was airing this special, I was immediately drawn to it..........as was Lindsay. I wanted to see how he is doing. I also wanted to get a glimpse of his Arabian horses wondering if they are helping him along this difficult journey. It didn't take long to get that answer.

There are clips of Patrick with his Arabian horses throughout this interview. He may not come right out and say Arabian horses are part of what's keeping him going but it is obvious by the prominence they play in this interview. For me the fact the horses are groomed to a tee with even their ears clipped says it was part of the plan the horses would be in the interview, it wasn't just happen stance. It tells me these horses are an integral part of their lives even now...........probably especially now would be a more appropriate to say. I'm glad the horses are there for both of them, Patrick and his wife.



I haven't really known much about Patrick Swayze other than some information about his horses and trainer.......you know the important horse stuff. After watching this interview I must say there's a lot of wisdom here as Patrick speaks about the quality of his life, what he's willing to do to stay alive and what's important to him.

"I'm not going to chase staying alive!" is a quote from Swayze that really struck me. I knew instantly what he was referring to. Chasing a cure was something we tried to avoid with Lindsay. I remember seeing parents so caught up in beating the cancer that their children had no time to live. The quality of their lives had long since been sacrificed for a cure. I didn't want that for my child and I sure wouldn't want it for me.




Patrick Swayze shows his strength with quotes like this "If it's about pain, I can deal with it" in referring to his fight. It's clear the fact he is still alive despite the odds is directly related to his attitude.



"We're all dying..........that makes me feel good from time to time........we're all dying, it's just a matter of when." says Swayze and he's right. It's not the thought of dying that will do you in, it's the fear of it. If we can accept that our life is limited and make the most of it, then we won't get lost in our fear and miss out on living.

Barbara Walters asked Partrick and his wife about their decision to renew their wedding vows this year. On a spur of the moment whim in four days they put together an intimate gathering on their ranch which Patrick described as " very Prince Charming and Snow White , I rode in on a snorting steed.........white stallion " as he spoke these words you could hear the significance of the horses to their commitment to each other and their lives. As Richard would say, "Good Stuff!"




There were statements along the way that told of Patrick's disillusionment with humanity. Maybe those things like fans robbing him of the ability to show his horses had contributed to that pain, but this new journey had brought a response neither he nor his wife had expected as the studio did the right thing and let Swayze do his new series despite his illness and the letters poured in from strangers lending their support, offering their comforting stories and prayers.

" It's amazing what ..what love can change and what courage love can breed in other people. " said Swayze as he said the studio doing the right thing and those letters of support have restored some of his faith in people after all.

When Barbara asked him how much time he had left one of his answers was "I plan on spending a lot of time on the back of a horse........back in the mountains.........." his message that he still has things to do before he is done with this life..........and those things involve horses.

Walters asked " Patrick, In your heart you're a cowboy"
His response was simple, "Yes, Mam........I am........just like my dad."

She also asked him if he thought about Ghost to which he replied. " Bigtime............ because the biggest line out of Ghost 'It's amazing Molly,.......... the love inside........... you take it with you.' "

I'm not really a Hollywood type person. I'm not real big on movies and I usually forget who starred in the ones I do see and like. I do, however, remember Patrick and Demi Moore from Ghost I will admit that when I first heard of Swayze's cancer I thought about that role and wondered if it would turn out to be prophetic. And I will always remember those particular lines.........I know they are true and they somehow make death not quite so scary to me.

Watching this interview with Barbara Walters and Patrick Swayze didn't quite turn out the way I had expected. Instead of just catching glimpses of some beautiful Arabian horses, I learned a lot about the man, his wife and their values.

Some, I know, think that this interview will do a lot for the Arabian horse and certainly Patrick Swayze has done that in the past. There was a clear message that Arabian horses are a huge part of the man's life. But for me the most powerful message of the interview is " It's amazing what ..what love can change and what courage love can breed in other people. "

This weekend Patrick Swayze was admitted to the hospital. He told reporters it was just precautionery to deal with pneumonia.

No one knows more than me what that can mean. It's not the cancer that kills most people it is the chemotherapy. It weakens the body and opens the door for things like pneumonia. I hope that Patrick Swayze gets to have that time in the saddle he was referring to.............I wish him many more hours in the saddle on the white Arabian stallion...........

Laura, in the comments provided this link for info on Patrick Swayze's Arabian Horses



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