Goodbye to a Legend -- Hope for the Future

By now I'm sure everyone has heard about the passing of Patrick Swayze.  I can't even begin to imagine the struggles he went through, the pain he and his family endured.  At least -- maybe now -- the family can begin to find peace.


I don't hear about pancreatic cancer very often.  I knew that Swayze had it, and it was mentioned on an episode of House last night.  But I had no idea how horrific it is -- the statistics for those with pancreatic cancer are mind-numbing.  Only 13% live for a year after diagnosis, and only 3% survive for five years.  Wow. 


But it sounds like there's hope.  I ran across an article this morning about a new advance form of radiotherapy that can actually target the tumor, meaning higher doses of radiation can be used without damaging surrounding tissue.  You can read more about it here -- it's actually quite an interesting article. 

And a little hope can be a big thing.