Farrah's Story

[Lee]

She's a very brave woman. I used to watch Charlie's Angels & saw her in the Burning Bed. She's a very good actress & a seemingly, all around nice person. That's why I hate to see her suffer. She's been suffering for several years. She's had a good life. I know she's trying to hold on for her son & for Ryan, but she must let go. They must learn to take care of themselves. She must go.... to the light.

Lee

[GODDESS6]

Originally Posted by Gypsy-Rhiannon

You can watch it on youtube

thanx pip, i was finally able to catch a rerun of it on oxygen~ my thoughts:

i am heartbroken~ i can't believe her strength to live~ it is inspiring & amazing~ & we all should have heart like that~ i cried thru so much of it, but the worse part for me, where i actually gasped out loud was when she took her hat off & showed her bald head~ the DR was right, farrah probably has the most famous hair ever & seeing her little bald head was almost more than i could take~ those laser liver treatments, wowzer~

the end too when they showed her son coming to see her in his jail clothes & leg shackles, where he laid on the bed w/ her, tore me up~

her & ryan's undying love for ea other was neat to see & i am so glad the other angels were there for farrah~

the stage she seems to be in now, is exactly where my father-in-law was before he finally crossed over~ bless her brave, brave heart~
i just love farrah~

[SuzeQuze]

What kind of cancer did she have to start with?

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

What kind of cancer did she have to start with?

Anal cancer, which, after going into remission, is apparently back again.

[GODDESS6]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

Anal cancer, which, after going into remission, is apparently back again.

yeah at the end of the docu, they said the initial anal tumor had returned & was pretty good sized, the DR showed w/ his hand how big, but i can't show you here~ i would say it was the size of a shelled peanut~ they also said tho the original liver tumors were still dormant, that others were occuring & getting bigger~

they showed her in bed & said she is sedated & in pain~ very sad news~ she was so hopeful~ those treatments she took in germany were horrid~

her story is certainly one to be watched~

i loved how they showed her reading letters from other cancer patients~

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by GODDESS6

the stage she seems to be in now, is exactly where my father-in-law was before he finally crossed over~ bless her brave, brave heart~
i just love farrah~

I do wonder though whether she was just having a particularly bad day (when Redmond visited her in bed), or whether she is indeed barely with us. I do get the impression that her narrative (in which she sounds very strong, lucid and defiant) was recorded quite recently, especially since she talks about everything in the past-tense and even mentions that she had survived 2.5 years after diagnosis (which would place the timing of the recording at approximately April 2009). I don't want to sound like a total cynic, but Ryan ONeal's press junket behind this special seemed more than a bit "off" to me. He's not a good actor to start with, and he was so obviously chewing scenery in the most hackneyed way. I mean, if she was really, really that gravely ill, wouldn't you think his priority #1 would be to keep vigil by her bedside 24/7? And being such a personal/private tragedy, I found it distasteful that he would be so willing to pimp Farrah out on worldwide deathwatch- that kind of sensational media coverage is morbid and tacky to the nth power, especially since she has been fighting so hard to keep her disease out of the tabloids. And if Farrah is really as out-of-it as Ryan says she is, wouldn't it have made more sense to air the documentary posthumously (with a full story arc, no less)?

In any case, I hope I am right, and I hope that Farrah's condition was exaggerated for the sake of getting ratings; NBC needs a hit like a crackhead needs a hit. It would be great to see Part II of this documentary in which Farrah beats her cancer like a red-headed stepchild!

[BTFLCHLD]

HejiraNYC - do you truly believe that her condition has been exaggerated for ratings? I find that ludicrous.

It is my understanding she weighs 80lbs wet and is bedridden; and has been so since april.

here is some recent info regarding the fight for rights to the documentary:
us magazine

as well as Farrah's reaction to watching the documentary:
us magazine


I have no doubt as to her true intentions in publicizing her fight for life. She is obviously of sound mind. I trust she would rather share something else, anything else with the world than the harsh reality of her cancer. In doing so, she has obviously provided inspiration to those also suffering; as evidenced in the recital of some of her fanmail. She, her family and friends, are to be commended for their bravery in revealing as much of themselves and for those that rip/cast judgement upon her choices can 'suck off '! IMO

I wish for her comfort and peace.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by BTFLCHLD

HejiraNYC - do you truly believe that her condition has been exaggerated for ratings? I find that ludicrous.

It is my understanding she weighs 80lbs wet and is bedridden; and has been so since april.

here is some recent info regarding the fight for rights to the documentary:
us magazine

as well as Farrah's reaction to watching the documentary:
us magazine


I have no doubt as to her true intentions in publicizing her fight for life. She is obviously of sound mind. I trust she would rather share something else, anything else with the world than the harsh reality of her cancer. In doing so, she has obviously provided inspiration to those also suffering; as evidenced in the recital of some of her fanmail. She, her family and friends, are to be commended for their bravery in revealing as much of themselves and for those that rip/cast judgement upon her choices can 'suck off '! IMO

I wish for her comfort and peace.

I have no reason to believe that Farrah is not coming from anywhere but the most sincere of places. It took incredible bravery for someone who became famous for her incredible beauty, to bare her bald head for the camera. But you have to admit that Ryan's crying to the press was pretty tacky. The documentary pretty much speaks for itself- it was really tacky and unnecessary for him to proclaim her at death's door repeatedly. I just know that if I was in a situation where a life partner is about to pass on, I would not be wasting time talking shop with Katie Couric.

Look, I'm not sure what to believe when it comes to her condition, but there is a side of me that hopes that Farrah is still in a state of mind to fight. I hope she drew inspiration from her own documentary.

[BTFLCHLD]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

The documentary pretty much speaks for itself- it was really tacky and unnecessary for him to proclaim her at death's door repeatedly. I just know that if I was in a situation where a life partner is about to pass on, I would not be wasting time talking shop with Katie Couric.

He probably is beside himself and doesn't really know how to behave; other than to grieve what seems to be the inevitable. It seems clear to me they have both experienced the 'loves of their life' in finding eachother. No doubt the intiating of interviews was on the side of the press or his attempt on getting Farrah's side of the story out; apparently there was a lawsuit with UCLA in which a law was established on patient's right to privacy. Farrah gave glimpse to this when she stated she had planned on keeping private but was forced to reveal her truth when rags such as the Enquirer began to 'speak' for her. All in all, while not a fan per say of Ryan, I can see how this would take an emotional toll and create the mindfck of 'WTF am I to do.' I am not sure I would know what would be the correct way to behave in this most public of situations; I do know I would be inconsolable to be losing the love of my life. I do not question his sincerity in loving Farrah and doing the best that he can. (and by this, HejiraNYC, I am not saying you are questioning...just expressing my overall general opinion on this topic.)

[Gypsy-Rhiannon]

Farrah is a friend of a friend... and her condition has not been exaggerated. She is bed ridden and very ill

[kak125]

i just finished watching this and it is by far the saddest thing i have ever seen. farrah is so brave and so amazing for documenting all of this and putting it out there. she has touched many people with her story and she is truly a wonderful person. i hope there will be more of a focus now on alternative treatments and i keep hoping that they can find something to help farrah. you have to wonder if she passes away what will happen to her son.

[Ghost_Tracker]

Originally Posted by BTFLCHLD

HejiraNYC - do you truly believe that her condition has been exaggerated for ratings? I find that ludicrous.

It is my understanding she weighs 80lbs wet and is bedridden; and has been so since april.

here is some recent info regarding the fight for rights to the documentary:
us magazine

as well as Farrah's reaction to watching the documentary:
us magazine


I have no doubt as to her true intentions in publicizing her fight for life. She is obviously of sound mind. I trust she would rather share something else, anything else with the world than the harsh reality of her cancer. In doing so, she has obviously provided inspiration to those also suffering; as evidenced in the recital of some of her fanmail. She, her family and friends, are to be commended for their bravery in revealing as much of themselves and for those that rip/cast judgement upon her choices can 'suck off '! IMO

I wish for her comfort and peace.

Something else I'd like to point out, is that the symptoms of anal cancer are easily mistaken for simple hemorrhoids. (They're very easy to find doing a Google search - just search for "Farrah Fawcett" And "Symptoms.) It's my belief that that's what happened to her - she fell into the trap of thinking it was nothing serious, and delayed until it was much worse and possibly too late. She's hoping to use her
"Celebrity Status" to prevent that from happening to other people. God only knows how many lives she may save that way. I totally respect her for what she did, but I would like to think that it just shows that she's a human being - "Save thousands of lives, or NOT save thousands of lives" - that's a no-brainer.

[JazmenFlowers]

let the woman die in peace. I don't really get the fascination with this documentary. people suffer this disease and worse every single day. and they are just as brave and strong as she is. she is an amazing woman (as are all who battle such horrific diseases) and I'm sure she has positive, good intentions for doing the documentary, but I just can't really wrap my mind around what they are. what, exactly, are the reasons for a documentary following her around in her last days? and why is there a "sequel" being filmed? maybe it's been explained and I just missed it.

just my opinion, of course.

ETA: I am not ripping on her at all. it's her choice, her decision, her life. I'm just saying that I don't find a lengthy documentary and "sequel" necessary to show the harsh realities of cancer and the adoration that has followed. I know that sounds harsh, but I promise I don't mean it to demean her intentions at all.

[Ghost_Tracker]

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

let the woman die in peace. I don't really get the fascination with this documentary. people suffer this disease and worse every single day. and they are just as brave and strong as she is. she is an amazing woman (as are all who battle such horrific diseases) and I'm sure she has positive, good intentions for doing the documentary, but I just can't really wrap my mind around what they are. what, exactly, are the reasons for a documentary following her around in her last days? and why is there a "sequel" being filmed? maybe it's been explained and I just missed it.

just my opinion, of course.

ETA: I am not ripping on her at all. it's her choice, her decision, her life. I'm just saying that I don't find a lengthy documentary and "sequel" necessary to show the harsh realities of cancer and the adoration that has followed. I know that sounds harsh, but I promise I don't mean it to demean her intentions at all.

The best I try to can explain, personally, is this -

The '70s weren't actually all that long ago.
Just yesterday.
This is an "Angel" this is happening to.
And if it can happen to Her. . . .

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by Ghost_Tracker

The best I try to can explain, personally, is this -

The '70s weren't actually all that long ago.
Just yesterday.
This is an "Angel" this is happening to.
And if it can happen to Her. . . .

um, that's kind of the point.

it can and does happen to all kinds of people. get over it.

she's not an angel. she's a regular old human being just like everybody else, and she's dying.

it sucks. but the obsession is kind of sickening.