John Wayne Revealed the Time in His Life When He Encountered His ‘Biggest Fear’ With Cancer
Actor John Wayne was one of many Hollywood stars to die from cancer. It certainly slowed him down the first time around, but he refused to go down without a fight. Wayne incorporated his support for others with cancer into his public image, as he dedicated his time to a worthwhile cause. The actor once recalled the “biggest fear” when it came to his fight with cancer.
John Wayne contracted cancer twice
Wayne fought cancer two different times over the course of his lifetime. He first contracted it in 1964 in the form of lung cancer, which resulted in the necessary removal of his left lung and two ribs. The movie star’s team wanted him to stay out of the public eye to maintain his image, but he wasn’t willing to do that. Rather, Wayne announced to the world that he had cancer and used it as an opportunity to raise awareness.
Five years later, Wayne was declared cancer-free. Over the course of the process, he came up with the term of “the Big C,” in reference to cancer. Unfortunately, it would come back with a vengeance more than a decade later.
John Wayne thought he was through after a procedure on his windpipe
The infamous Playboy interview revealed more about the fight Wayne had against cancer. The interviewer asked him about his frame of mind when it came to the surgery in 1964. He explained how difficult the situation was and how it unveiled his “biggest fear.”
“I had two operations six days apart – one for a cancer that was as big as a baby’s fist, and then one for edema,” Wayne said. “I wasn’t so uptight when I was told about the cancer. My biggest fear came when they twisted my windpipe and had to sew me back together a second time. When my family came in to see me and I saw the looks on their faces, I figured, ‘Well, Jeez, I must be just about all through.’ I kept my spirits up by thinking about God and my family and my friends and telling myself, ‘Everything will be all right.'”
Wayne continued: “And it was. I licked the Big C. I know the man upstairs will pull the plug when he wants to, but I don’t want to end up my life being sick. I want to go out on two feet – in action. The operation hasn’t impeded anything except that I get short of breath quickly. Particularly in the higher altitudes, that slows me down. I still do my own fights and all that stuff. I’d probably do a little bit more if I had more wind, but I still do more than my share. Nobody else does anything any more than I do, whether they’re young or old.”
John Wayne died from cancer in 1979
Wayne continued working, even after all that he went through with cancer. He had a passion when it came to moviemaking, and he refused to give that up. Wayne delivered his final performance as J.B. Books in 1976’s The Shootist. He played an aging gunfighter diagnosed with cancer, hitting a bit too close to home for some audiences.
The movie star didn’t want to stop acting, but his condition continued to worsen after the cancer came back. He had a cancerous tumour growing in his stomach, which ultimately killed him in 1979.
