Mesothelioma Does Not Respect Fame Or Fortune - Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen will always be remembered for the cool characters he played
in such movie classics as The Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles, Bullitt,
The Getaway, and Papillon. What few people realize is that this superstar's
life was cut short at the age of 50 on November 7, 1980 by malignant peritoneal
mesothelioma.
At the time he was diagnosed, in 1979, McQueen's doctors advised him
that there was no cure. He was advised that neither chemotherapy nor surgery
were options. Left with no choice, McQueen sought a miracle cure in a
controversial clinic, which continues to operate today, in Tijuana, Mexico.
He underwent a torturous three month regimen involving animal cell injections,
laetrile, and over 100 vitamin pills a day. But his health only deteriorated
until he eventually died after an unsuccessful operation to debulk the
tumor surgically.
The tragedy is two-fold. The first tragedy is that a great actor's
life was cut short in the prime of his career. The second tragedy is that
since 1980, very little has changed with respect to the treatment options
available for mesothelioma patients. Many patients continue to travel
to Mexico on the false promise that their cancer can be cured by a combination
of juices, enemas, laetrile and other "detoxifying" nostrums.
McQueen's Legacy of Laetrile (11/15/05)
*** POSTED FEBRUARY 3, 2000 ***