Farrah Fawcett Was Relentless In Her Struggles With Cancer, Says Close Friend

Charlie’s Angels star Farrah Fawcett fought a public and courageous battle with cancer after she was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006. Following her initial diagnosis, Fawcett sought medical treatment and underwent surgery to remove the tumor and later commenced chemotherapy and radiation therapy to target any remaining cancer cells.

Sadly, despite her initial news of recovery making headlines in 2007, the cancer eventually spread to other parts of her body, but the actress maintained a positive outlook and remained hopeful for her recovery until she died in 2009 at the age of 62.

Farrah Fawcett’s friend, Alana Stewart, says she did not give up on life all through her cancer battle

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Alana Stewart, a close friend of the late actress and the president of the Farrah Fawcett Foundation for cancer research, talked about Fawcett’s remarkable commitments and her steadfast belief that cancer was a battle that could be won. “Farrah was a very determined person in everything she did,” she detailed. “She looked at cancer as a battle that she was determined to win. She didn’t like to lose. She was very competitive. She was determined to win this battle. She was determined to start her foundation, run it and live her life.”

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“She kept going when a lot of people wouldn’t. She went through a lot of painful procedures. She went through it all with such amazing grace, dignity, and courage. It’s sad to say that she lost this battle, but in a way, I think it was her finest hour,” the 78-year-old added. “She showed the world what she was made of… She loved life. She wanted to live. She wanted to be there for her son and Ryan. No one wants to die, but she had such a determination to not give up. And she was so determined right until the very end.”

Alana Stewart shares the story of how she found out about  Farrah Fawcett’s cancer diagnosis

Stewart also provided information regarding Fawcett’s battle with cancer, which started in 2005 when Fawcett was taking care of her elderly mother. “Her mother was dying,” the actress confessed to the news outlet. “And then she started having a few symptoms while she was there [in Texas] but ignored them. She was taking care of her mom, and that was her focus. But when she came back, Ryan said, ‘You’ve got to go to the doctor and get this checked out.’ So she did. They did a colonoscopy, and that’s when they found it.”

She further explained that when she got news of her friend’s diagnosis, she did not believe it until she got a confirmation from Fawcett herself. “I just thought it was tabloid BS. They seemed to hound Farrah all her life. But this time, I just had a weird feeling. I thought, ‘It’s certainly not true, but I’m going to call her anyway.’ It must have been nighttime in Los Angeles when I called her,” Stewart told Fox News Digital. “I remember it took her a very long time to pick up the phone. When she finally picked up, I said, ‘Listen, I just heard this crazy rumor about you having cancer.’ She just started to cry. That’s how I found out.”