Patrick Swayze

One of the most inspiring survivor stories happening today is the struggle facing Patrick Swayze. The actor, most famous for his starring performances in the films “Dirty Dancing,” and “Ghost,” has been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. Rather than accept this as a death sentence, Swayze, who says he remains optimistic, has been spurred to action.

While many stage four pancreatic sufferers might be tempted to halt all their regular daily activities, Swayze has attacked his with full force, starring in a new television drama, “The Beast,” which can be found on the A&E network.

Now, the 56 year old Swayze, with Lisa Niemi, his wife of more than three decades, is taking more action. The couple is writing a memoir to help others going through a similar struggle and to help his fans understand the challenge he is undergoing. The book will chronicle all of Swayze’s life, from his childhood in Houston, Texas as the son of a choreographer/dancer to his early acting career, to his burst into acting super stardom and finally to his current battle with cancer. Niemi, who has known Swayze since the age of 16 and been married to him since the age of 21, will add her experiences along this journey with Swayze to the book.

Swayze is no stranger to surviving difficult situations. He has struggled with alcoholism and nearly lost his life in a plane crash when his Cessna showed pressurization problems over Arizona, forcing a crash landing from which Swayze escaped unscathed. Although his prognosis once diagnosed with pancreatic cancer was grim and Swayze was not expected to survive a year, it is now 13 months since Swayze’s diagnosis and he seems to still be going strong.

The memoir is yet untitled and will be published by Atria Books.