14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, it emerged that Farrah Fawcett had been hospitalized for unknown reasons, with speculation building up that she might not survive. The actress has been battling cancer for three years, and it was believed that her condition had deteriorated to the point where nothing more could be done for her. Now, producer Craig Nevius is telling People magazine that the situation has been exaggerated by the media and that Farrah is doing well.
In the statement just released, Nevius speaks on behalf of the actress, asking fans not to lose hope and stressing that Farrah is doing well. The battle is not yet lost, he tells, and the last thing the actress would want now would be for fans who have supported her all this while to believe otherwise. At the same time, other cancer patients who have looked up to Farrah for the bravery with which she has fought the disease should continue to do so, because she is not yet ready to give up the fight, the producer adds.
“On Farrah Fawcett’s behalf, I can confirm that she recently checked into a Los Angeles hospital. And although it is usually against her nature to correct false or exaggerated stories that originate in tabloid-style reports by offering true information that they would not otherwise have to publish, Farrah is allowing this statement out of appreciation for her fans, who have offered their constant support throughout her fight, as well as out of concern for the countless other cancer patients who have written her over the last two-and-a-half years in order to tell her that they are following her story in the hope that there is hope.” Nevius explains in the press statement.
Similarly, Fawcett’s physician, Lawrence Piro, M.D., also stresses that the actress’ condition is far from how it has been painted in the media. If she has been seen in a wheelchair recently, it’s because she has just undergone a procedure in Germany, and not because she is too weak to walk because of the disease, the doctor adds for the aforementioned magazine.
“She took a nine-hour flight right after that procedure. It turned out that the procedure caused a small amount of bleeding in one of the muscles of her abdomen, making a hematoma, which was quite painful. Actually, it was painful for her to walk, which is why she was in that wheelchair. And that pain, which was coming from the hematoma, had nothing directly to do with the cancer.” Piro explains.
On and off lover Ryan O’Neal has also spoken to the media to set the record straight, saying that Farrah is nowhere near “death’s door,” having been admitted to the hospital for a procedure. This way, yesterday’s report that the actress had been rushed to a hospital near LA unconscious and in critical condition, was nothing but a tabloid-like story, as Nevius also opines.