‘Little House’ star Melissa Gilbert honors Michael Landon for pancreatic cancer awareness – Taste of Country

Melissa Gilbert recently paid tribute to actors Michael Landon and Patrick Swayze as part of an effort to raise awareness of the pancreatic cancer that claimed both of their lives. Gilbert, who had a close relationship with Landon from their time on Little House on the Prairiespeaks of the ravages of disease.

Landon died in 1991 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer, while longtime friend Gilbert Swayze, known for his role in Dirty dancingbattled the disease for 20 months before his death in 2009.

“This is what killed two of the strongest, most extraordinarily extraordinary physical specimens of men I’ve ever known in my life,” Gilbert recounts. people. “Athletic, talented, I mean, whatever. Those guys were pillars to me, almost like superheroes. And to see something like that take them the way it did… And it’s not just the person who goes through that. I watch an entire family suffer along with the two men as they suffer in a way that is unspeakable.”

In his advocacy, Gilbert emphasized the need for more research and early detection of pancreatic cancer, which is often diagnosed too late due to its subtle symptoms. Her participation honors both actors and aims to bring more attention to the disease, hoping to prevent other families from experiencing similar losses.

Gilbert is launching a new lifestyle brand called Modern Prairie in collaboration with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to raise funds and awareness with a new collection. All proceeds from the collection will go to support charity.

“My work with PanCAN is a passion of mine and it’s important to me because of the people I’ve lost – that I’ve known and loved – to pancreatic cancer,” she states.

More recently, Gilbert made news for her struggles with misophonia while on Little House on the Prairie set.

Years later, Gilbert learns that she actually has a neurological disorder called misophonia, and discovers that she isn’t just “evil.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, misophonia is a disorder characterized by a decreased tolerance for specific sounds.

“I really just thought I was being rude. And I felt really bad. And guilt, which is a huge component of misophonia, the guilt you feel about those fight-or-flight feelings. It’s a really isolating disorder,” the former child star said.

The actress said that although she knew her condition had a name, it was only last year that she learned there was a treatment.

She continues to use her platform to encourage people and raise money for important causes.

Nicole Taylor is part of A taste of country mornings with wood and Nicolewhich can be heard every morning LIVE on TasteofCountry.com and on the Taste of Country app from 6-10am CT. Based in Nashville, the two hosts chat with country artists and dive deep into the latest in the world of country music every weekday.

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