Swayze’s Widow Signs On As Tv Patient Advocate
By WENNWednesday, May 26, 2010
PATRICK SWAYZE’s widow has signed up to help the seriously and terminally-ill as part of a regular U.S. TV spot.
Lisa Niemi, who nursed the Ghost star through his final days as he battled pancreatic cancer, has been added to the Lifechangers team on TV news show Extra.
Her first assignment was to help a young woman fighting blood disease MDS, advising her of the questions to ask doctors to make sure she received the best care available.
Niemi says, “For all of my husband’s illness, I’d remember things he had forgotten. He thought he lost his appetite, but I said, ‘No honey, that isn’t the way it worked. I had lists. I had the medications. I knew just how much he needed, the what, when, where and why.
“I was an advocate for Patrick because I didn’t know any other way to be. But, during that time, I learned that getting the right help involves asking the right questions, and sometimes that’s the hardest thing for the patient to do.”
Niemi urges the sick to prepare their questions in advance, take notes during doctor visits and be vocal about any changes.
