Famous people with Colorectal Cancer

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rthornton
rthornton Member Posts: 346 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I've been watching this program on NBC about Micheal J. Fox and his advocacy work for Parkinson's Disease (and I REALLY admire him for his work!). It just made me curious about famous people who have been touched by colorectal cancer. I can only think of Katie Couric (who interviewed Michael J. Fox), and I THINK (but I'm not sure) that Ronald Reagan had a colon cancer surgery when he was president. I was really young then, so I'm not sure about that.

Does anyone know what famous people, living or dead, have or had colorectal cancer?

Just curious,
Rodney
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  • debralla
    debralla Member Posts: 203 Member
    #2
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    Rodney
    Funny that you asked that question.
    I not only wonder about famous people ,But when I go outside like out to eat or the mall I look at all of the people running around and wonder .How many of them have it ?
    Anyways the only Famous person I know that has it is Tammy Faye Baker . I was watching some show the other day where she was talking about receiving radiation for lung mets. I always thought she just had lung cancer . But she said that she had mets to her lung from colon cancer .
    I love Michael J Fox . Also from what I understand mums the word in Hollywood when someone has cancer.You usually don't find out unless they choose to come out and talk about it.
    Hope everyone had a great Easter !!!!
    TAKE CARE AND GOD BLESS
    DEBRA
  • 2bhealed
    2bhealed Member Posts: 2,064 Member
    #3
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    hi rodney,

    You're right about Ronald Reagan. And interestingly enough they put him on a whole grain diet and didn't give him any chemo. Hmmm.

    Sharon Osborne of the Ozzy Osborne fame had it and is quite open about it.

    Katie Couric's hubby died of it but I haven't heard that she has it.

    One of the guys in Backstreet Boys had a father with colon cancer who died. He talks about how traumatic that was for him.

    That's all I can think of at the moment.

    peace, emily who met Ronald Reagan in 1983 when he was prez. :-)
  • rthornton
    rthornton Member Posts: 346 Member
    #4
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    2bhealed said:

    hi rodney,

    You're right about Ronald Reagan. And interestingly enough they put him on a whole grain diet and didn't give him any chemo. Hmmm.

    Sharon Osborne of the Ozzy Osborne fame had it and is quite open about it.

    Katie Couric's hubby died of it but I haven't heard that she has it.

    One of the guys in Backstreet Boys had a father with colon cancer who died. He talks about how traumatic that was for him.

    That's all I can think of at the moment.

    peace, emily who met Ronald Reagan in 1983 when he was prez. :-)

    I got curious about Reagan and looked it up on the Internet. Apparently Reagan liked the colon prep drink about as much as I did. Here's what I found:

    A 1984 proctoscopic examination disclosed a small polyp in Reagan's colon. Biopsy showed it was benign. In March 1985, another polyp was found, as were trace amounts of blood in his stool. A change in Reagan's diet eliminated the blood. He underwent endoscopic removal of the polyp and colonoscopy on July 12, 1985, at Bethesda Naval Medical Center. Colonoscopy disclosed a second, more dangerous tumor -- a villous adenoma -- that could only be removed by surgery.

    Although Nancy Reagan apparently preferred to delay surgery until the following week on the advice of her astrologer, Reagan preferred to have the surgery the next day -- to avoid having to repeat the colonic preparation.

    The operation lasted 2 hours and 53 minutes. The right-sided portion of Reagan's colon was removed -- about 2 feet of length. Exploration of other abdominal structures found no spread of the cancer. The tumor was ultimately classified as a "Duke's B," meaning it had invaded the muscle of the colon, but was confined to the bowel wall. Post-operatively, one of the surgeons remarked about the then-74-year-old President: "This man has the insides of a forty year old".

    As a result of the surgery, Reagan transferred Presidential power to Vice President Bush for 7 hours and 50 minutes. It is often written that Reagan invoked section 3 of the 25th Amendment to make this transfer, but a close reading of events discloses that he did not.
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #5
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    Rodney -

    You're correct President Reagan was DX'd in 1985.

    Add to the list:

    Darryl Strawberry
    Eric Davis (Balto Orioles)
    Barbara Barrie (actress)
    Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
    Yvonne DeCarlo (Herman Munster's wife)

    I'm sure there are dozens more, but talking about the disease didn't become acceptable until just a couple of years ago.

    Hey, Rodmey, speaking about talking about your disease, check out www.colondar.com - you should consider being in the 2007 edition. You have the perfect attitude!

    Cheers

    - Sponge
  • rthornton
    rthornton Member Posts: 346 Member
    #6
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    spongebob said:

    Rodney -

    You're correct President Reagan was DX'd in 1985.

    Add to the list:

    Darryl Strawberry
    Eric Davis (Balto Orioles)
    Barbara Barrie (actress)
    Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
    Yvonne DeCarlo (Herman Munster's wife)

    I'm sure there are dozens more, but talking about the disease didn't become acceptable until just a couple of years ago.

    Hey, Rodmey, speaking about talking about your disease, check out www.colondar.com - you should consider being in the 2007 edition. You have the perfect attitude!

    Cheers

    - Sponge

    Hmmm ... I guess I could consider being in the 2007 colondar ... or ... I could find 11 other people suffering from the Erbitux rash and make a special 2007 Erbirash Pin-up Calendar and see if Bristol Myers Squibb (the US distributor of Erbitux) would actually pay me for it. I can already see 12 pictures of people covered with the facial acneform rash and red lesions, one for each month. But it will have to wait until the summer if I am to be in it. This past Wednesday I started my eight-week Erbitux break. I was supposed to start the break in May but I told my oncologist's nurse practitioner that if I wait until May then the Erbitux rash will encase my entire head within an enormous scab and I will sufficate. I think they sense my desperation.

    Rodney
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #7
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    rthornton said:

    I got curious about Reagan and looked it up on the Internet. Apparently Reagan liked the colon prep drink about as much as I did. Here's what I found:

    A 1984 proctoscopic examination disclosed a small polyp in Reagan's colon. Biopsy showed it was benign. In March 1985, another polyp was found, as were trace amounts of blood in his stool. A change in Reagan's diet eliminated the blood. He underwent endoscopic removal of the polyp and colonoscopy on July 12, 1985, at Bethesda Naval Medical Center. Colonoscopy disclosed a second, more dangerous tumor -- a villous adenoma -- that could only be removed by surgery.

    Although Nancy Reagan apparently preferred to delay surgery until the following week on the advice of her astrologer, Reagan preferred to have the surgery the next day -- to avoid having to repeat the colonic preparation.

    The operation lasted 2 hours and 53 minutes. The right-sided portion of Reagan's colon was removed -- about 2 feet of length. Exploration of other abdominal structures found no spread of the cancer. The tumor was ultimately classified as a "Duke's B," meaning it had invaded the muscle of the colon, but was confined to the bowel wall. Post-operatively, one of the surgeons remarked about the then-74-year-old President: "This man has the insides of a forty year old".

    As a result of the surgery, Reagan transferred Presidential power to Vice President Bush for 7 hours and 50 minutes. It is often written that Reagan invoked section 3 of the 25th Amendment to make this transfer, but a close reading of events discloses that he did not.

    Wow, Rodney....What a great story...my only question (to which I already know the answer, alas) is WHY does CRC STILL get VERY LITTLE PRESS????
    Hugs,
    Kathi
  • terril
    terril Member Posts: 296
    #8
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    I have heard that Audrey Hepburn had CC. Also, because of chemo brain, I cannot remember the name of the person who does movie reviews for one of the networks. He had mets to his lungs but is NED after 4 years. I read this in a cancer magazine a couple of years ago. If I remember his name I will let you know. Oh, another one came to mind...a talk show host by the name of Tony Snow has CC.
  • tkd3g
    tkd3g Member Posts: 767
    #9
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    I found this on the internet:
    24 Jun 1987 Actor and UFO aficianado Jackie Gleason dies of colon and liver cancer at his home in Ft. Lauderdale FL.

    20 Jan 1993 Actress Audrey Hepburn dies of colon cancer (from which she suffered for two years) at her home in Tolochenaz, Switzerland.

    14 Jun 1995 Science fiction author Roger Zelazny dies of liver failure related to colorectal cancer, St. Vincent's Hospital in Santa Fe NM.

    12 Feb 2000 Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz dies from complications of colon cancer, Santa Rosa CA.

    27 Mar 2002 Comedian and Mr. Television Milton Berle dies after suffering a year of colon cancer, at his home in Los Angeles CA.

    27 Oct 2003 Rod Roddy, voice of The Price is Right, dies from colon and breast cancer at Century City Hospital, Los Angeles CA.

    Barb
  • jerseysue
    jerseysue Member Posts: 624 Member
    #10
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    tkd3g said:

    I found this on the internet:
    24 Jun 1987 Actor and UFO aficianado Jackie Gleason dies of colon and liver cancer at his home in Ft. Lauderdale FL.

    20 Jan 1993 Actress Audrey Hepburn dies of colon cancer (from which she suffered for two years) at her home in Tolochenaz, Switzerland.

    14 Jun 1995 Science fiction author Roger Zelazny dies of liver failure related to colorectal cancer, St. Vincent's Hospital in Santa Fe NM.

    12 Feb 2000 Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz dies from complications of colon cancer, Santa Rosa CA.

    27 Mar 2002 Comedian and Mr. Television Milton Berle dies after suffering a year of colon cancer, at his home in Los Angeles CA.

    27 Oct 2003 Rod Roddy, voice of The Price is Right, dies from colon and breast cancer at Century City Hospital, Los Angeles CA.

    Barb

    Dang couldn't you leave out all the dying parts.
  • debralla
    debralla Member Posts: 203 Member
    #11
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    jerseysue said:

    Dang couldn't you leave out all the dying parts.

    I Felt the same way Jerseysue !!! Guess its harder on those of us that are stage 4 .
    Okay we need a GOOD stage 4 story !!!!
    Take care and god bless
    DEBRA
  • kangatoo
    kangatoo Member Posts: 2,105 Member
    #12
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    debralla said:

    I Felt the same way Jerseysue !!! Guess its harder on those of us that are stage 4 .
    Okay we need a GOOD stage 4 story !!!!
    Take care and god bless
    DEBRA

    Question?....could a fair dinkum ozzie be considered celebrity material in Austin. With a name like "kangathong" somethins gotta be worth celebrity status....lol!
    btw......Sue.....its tha dyin bit that I don't wanna be remembered for!
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #13
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    debralla said:

    I Felt the same way Jerseysue !!! Guess its harder on those of us that are stage 4 .
    Okay we need a GOOD stage 4 story !!!!
    Take care and god bless
    DEBRA

    Celebrity enough for me:
    madu, ACSCSN cancer survivor, just had a baby polyp removed, benign, STAGE IV 7 year, 8 month SURVIVOR!!!!!!!
    (See related article under "polyps after remission", in this publication) yayayayay!
    Hugs,
    Kathi
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #14
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    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • madu
    madu Member Posts: 53
    #15
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    debralla said:

    I Felt the same way Jerseysue !!! Guess its harder on those of us that are stage 4 .
    Okay we need a GOOD stage 4 story !!!!
    Take care and god bless
    DEBRA

    Debra,

    You can always talk to me if you like. I'm stage IV and NED since 1/99. I like to think of myself as a reformed stage III! I didn't even get to take all the "new" drugs that are out there - they were in trials..

    Heidi
  • tkd3g
    tkd3g Member Posts: 767
    #16
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    jerseysue said:

    Dang couldn't you leave out all the dying parts.

    You are right. I am being whipped as we speak. That was very insensitive of me. My apologies.

    Barb
  • debralla
    debralla Member Posts: 203 Member
    #17
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    madu said:

    Debra,

    You can always talk to me if you like. I'm stage IV and NED since 1/99. I like to think of myself as a reformed stage III! I didn't even get to take all the "new" drugs that are out there - they were in trials..

    Heidi

    Heidi
    I would love to hear your wonderful 7 # story.
    I read your last post .And noticed that a few people asked . Could you Would you please Post your story . Thanks so much !
    TAKE CARE AND GOD BLESS.
    DEBRA
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #18
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    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • rthornton
    rthornton Member Posts: 346 Member
    #19
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    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    But if it's true ... then it's true. I was originally curious what famous people, living OR dead, were touched by colorectal cancer (either they had it or were a caregiver, etc). Of course, the recovery stories are the best stories!

    But what really promted me to ask was the Micheal J. Fox story about his work with Parkinsons. I cannot think of a single famous person, other than Katie Couric, who is an advocate for colorectal cancer research. There probably are some celebrity advocates out there, but I haven't seen them because I'm just that out of touch with popular culture.

    Rodney
  • Betsydoglover
    Betsydoglover Member Posts: 1,248 Member
    #20
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    rthornton said:

    But if it's true ... then it's true. I was originally curious what famous people, living OR dead, were touched by colorectal cancer (either they had it or were a caregiver, etc). Of course, the recovery stories are the best stories!

    But what really promted me to ask was the Micheal J. Fox story about his work with Parkinsons. I cannot think of a single famous person, other than Katie Couric, who is an advocate for colorectal cancer research. There probably are some celebrity advocates out there, but I haven't seen them because I'm just that out of touch with popular culture.

    Rodney

    Rodney touches on a serious issue here. I can't help but think that all the breast cancer campaigns have done some good. CRC needs more public advocacy. (Of course I also think Rodney is trying to once again go for the post that gets the most responses!)

    Betsy
  • oneagleswings
    oneagleswings Member Posts: 425 Member
    #21
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    ok- I can add 2 more.
    1) Pamela Wallin ( Canadian TV journalist..stage two and she is doing awesome)
    2) Pat Burns (hockey anyone???...and is as far as I know doing just fine- he was stage 4 diagnosed around the same time as my husband in 2004)
    There you go...2 success stories
    Bev

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