Terry Thompson’s Blog

This will be my last post about Farrah Fawcett.  Her life, her death, and even her funeral have served as a lighthouse for navigating the complex waters of cancer treatment.  She was just 19 days older than I.

Yesterday, Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles was the hostess for Farrah’s family and close friends in a rather private funeral service.  A sanctuary filled with pastel flowers echoed the bagpipes rendition of “Amazing Grace” as the celebration began of a most elegant and often troubled lady’s life.  Her longtime love, Ryan O’Neal and their son, Redmond O’Neal read Bible passages from Lamentations and Song of Solomon before honoring her with heart rending tribute.  Friends read her personal final letters to Ryan, Redmond, and her father, James Fawcett, a 91 year old retired Texas oil worker.  An excerpt to Ryan read, “When I figure out what it is all about , I can tell you.”  The letter to Redmond said in part, “The greatest gift of my life was to be your mother.  By leaving you behind, I hope you will be able to work out all your troubles and grow as a person.”  Her farewell to her father included, “You gave me life, and you were the greatest dad around.” 

Her son was in handcuffs and escorted by three law enforcement officers.  He was returned to jail immediately after the service.  He would have no more of mother’s compassion and counsel. 

The star-studded front rows were filled with her closest friends.  Her “Charlie’s Angels” co-star, Kate Jackson, had just gone through breast cancer treatment for the second time.  Also present were Alana Stewart, Marla Maples, Cheryl Tiegs, and several other actors and Hollywood executives.

Her principal oncologist, Dr. Lawrence Piro, and Alana Stewart shared the presentation of eulogies.  Apparently, she was buried in a crypt within the walls of the cathedral where other celebrities have been laid to rest including Gregory Peck.

Farrah wanted to live her life out with Ryan, continue to get Redmond straightened out, enjoy fun times with her good friends, and entertain her fans.  Toward the end, she just wanted the world to know about the viciousness of cancer that had cut those dreams short.  The best that we all can take from the life and death of Farrah Fawcett is a renewed dedication and commitment to fighting this disease with a vengeance.  It won’t happen by just tweaking the 40 year old traditional treatment strategy.  We MUST develop a new strategy of integrative therapy.  Don’t get involved just for Farrah.  Get involved for your friends and loved ones.  Get involved for yourself.  

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 19:45 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.