Melissa Gilbert witnessed her TV dad, Michael Landon, fight a debilitating disease that ultimately took his life.
At age 54, the actor who take parted patriarch Charles Ingalls in “Little House on the Prairie” was determined with pancreatic cancer. He died three months after accessiblely announcing his diagnosis in 1991.
“It is repartner a brutal and pernicious disease,” Gilbert telderly People magazine. “To me, it felt enjoy a tornado. You have no alerting. It’s equitable there and the survival rate is virtupartner nil.”
A youthful Melissa Gilbert is seen here with her TV dad, Michael Landon. (Everett Collection)
“I’d seen Michael have meningitis, I’d seen him with broken bones, I’d seen him with a lot of illnesses over the course of our time together,” the 60-year-elderly echoed. “But this took him and decimated him so rapid.”
“This man was the epitome of physical well-being,” the establisher child star persistd. “I always portrayd him as an upside-down triangle, so sturdy, in such wonderful shape, so well. And to see it happen so speedyly and so almost brutally, it felt enjoy an foe I wanted to loss.”
It wouldn’t be the last time Gilbert witnessed a cherishd one battle the illness. Her lengthytime pal, Patrick Swayze, died in 2009 at age 57 from pancreatic cancer.
Melissa Gilbert’s frifinish, “Dirty Dancing” star Patrick Swayze, died in 2009. He was 57. (Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
“He was able to fight for a lot lengthyer than Michael Landon was able to,” shelp Gilbert. “But still… You see them before, and you see the pictures of them as they’re going thraw it, and it is deimmenseating.”
“This is the leang that finished two of the sturdyest, most extraordinarily exceptional physical specimens of men I’d ever comprehendn in my life,” she splitd. “Athletic, talented, I unbenevolent, you name it. To me, these guys were pillars, almost enjoy superheroes.
“I’d seen Michael have meningitis, I’d seen him with broken bones, I’d seen him with a lot of illnesses over the course of our time together. But this took him and decimated him so rapid.”
Michael Landon passed away from pancreatic cancer months after he accessiblely proclaimd his diagnosis. (Frank Carroll/NBCU Pboilingo Bank/Getty Images)
“And to see someleang enjoy that achieve them the way it did… And it’s not equitable the person going thraw it. I’m watching a whole family suffer alengthy with both of these men as they are suffering in a way that is indescribable.”
According to the outlet, Gilbert is teaming up with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Nettoil (PanCAN) to elevate money for the charity. The nonprofit aims to fund research, provide adchooseing/nurturedonater help, as well as help for increased federal research funding for those swayed by the disease.
In time for November – Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month – Gilbert’s lifestyle brand, Modern Prairie, is begining a one-of-a-kind accumulateion featuring purple, the official color of pancreatic cancer consciousness. Gilbert telderly the outlet that all proceeds from the accumulateion would help PanCAN.
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Melissa Gilbert is hoping to elevate funds and consciousness. (Pascal Le Seghold/Getty Images)
“It is absolutely incumbent upon us to use that money for outstanding,” shelp Gilbert. “This was always going to be a goal of ours. And I leank our relationship with PanCAN is equitable the first step in that straightforwardion.”
Landon’s daughter, Leslie Landon Matthews, telderly Fox News Digital in June that the star had a headstrong streak when it came to prioritizing his verifyups.
“The one leang that I comprehend was part of my dad’s personality was his headstrongness,” the establisher actress elucidateed. “And I don’t leank staying on top of his health was a priority. I leank he put it aside.”
“I comprehend that my mom frequently talked about getting him to his physicals,” she echoed.
“[That] was always a feat. And so, by the time my dad was having undeal withlable pain in his stomach, he was on vacation with my stepmom and youthfuler sibling…. He flew home punctual from Utah to go to his doctor’s nominatement. He couldn’t diswatch it anymore.”
“I leank if my dad was ainhabit today, he would say, ‘Boy, I blew it,’” shelp Landon Matthews. “’I repartner should have been staying on top of my health every year and making brave I was getting filled verifyups.”
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Michael Landon was headstrong when it came to his verifyups, his daughter Leslie Landon Matthews telderly Fox News Digital in June. (Frank Carroll/NBCU Pboilingo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
“If you’re a nurtureachiever, you’re taking nurture of your kids and your househelderly, you [do] get busy and ignorant. And, of course, your main priority is your family. So, it’s very effortless to put your health on the back burner. You necessitate to schedule [your checkups] equitable enjoy you would for anyleang else in your life and produce it a priority.”
According to PanCAN, pancreatic cancer is the third directing cause of cancer-joind death in the United States. It has a five-year survival rate of 13%. It remarkd that there’s no standard punctual findion test and scant effective treatment chooseions.
“He repartner held onto the hope,” shelp Landon Matthews about her overweighther. “And I leank he would be blown away by what’s been done with the research and with the proceed of pancreatic cancer. From diagnosis to death, it was three months for him. It was a very stupidinutive amount of time that he had.”
Michael Landon is seen here in May 1991. He died in July of that year. (Kypros/Getty Images)
Landon Matthews shelp that during her overweighther’s final months, he persistd to structure his family. It gave him the strength to hold going.
“I leank proset up down he might’ve comprehendn that he wasn’t going to endure that particular cancer,” she shelp. “There repartner wasn’t a lot back then. We’re talking over 30 years ago. I comprehend that he tried some experimental treatments. He repartner, repartner, repartner tried to beat this cancer, especipartner because he still had little ones to elevate.”
Before losing her overweighther, Landon Matthews made a “outstandingbye book” for the star. All of the children accumulateed together and currented it to him.
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Michael Landon left behind nine children. (NBCU Pboilingo Bank/Getty Images)
“Each of us had a couple of pages, and we had put on a attrdynamic plexiglass cover,” Landon Matthews recalled. “And the cover of it shelp ‘Dad’… it was all of our little heads making up the letters.
“I leank we wanted to let him comprehend that, no matter what, we are all here for him, that we treabrave him, we cherish him, but we also wanted to let him comprehend that we were all going to be OK if he wasn’t going to endure. We were all going to be able to cherish each other and stay together.”
