Women of my generation are the same age as Farrah Fawcett. We admired her beauty as a young woman, copied her hairstyle, envied her lithe and muscular body, watched as she fell in love with Ryan O’Neal, and felt sorry for her when he left her for a younger woman. We watched her battles with men, including taking a ball bat to one of their cars in a domestic dispute just a few years ago. At times she seemed to have no substance, we thought she was vain, an aging Hollywood star who wasn’t coping with growing older.
Those of us who thought so, were obviously very, very wrong. I have followed her cancer battle, knew that this documentary that aired tonight on NBC was a work in process, and was anxious to see it. Hubby, thought it would be depressing, he didn’t choose to watch with me.
There has been a lot of controversy about this program, some doctor’s arguing that it shouldn’t be shown as it was degrading to cancer patients, others supporting her right to film and show what cancer is really like. I didn’t find it depressing, it was very sad, but it was so uplifting to see her emerge as this strong woman, and she was so determined to live, that, for me, it was an inspiration just watching her wage battle against the disease. She didn’t feel sorry for herself, gone was the little girl image we’ve seen in the past, she faced the beast with dignity and tried her best to survive.
She is much stronger than the men in her life. I’ve never been a fan of Ryan O’Neal, it’s obvious that he loves her, he’s stood by her during this battle, but he is an obnoxious excuse of a man, who has not been a role model for any of his children. The honesty of this documentary was brutal, it showed her son, Redmond, in jail for drug possession, being brought to her bed in chains, and her so weak that she barely was aware that he was there. He preened for the camera, grinning as he was led out in his chains, and you have to wonder if he has learned anything in his sorry excuse of a life of privilege. He showed no remorse, it was not pleasant to watch.
She will not win this war, it is obvious that the end is very near, but oh, how I admire this woman. She had the courage to let the cameras roll when she was nauseated and vomiting, she let us see her with no hair, we heard her cry in pain when they probed her liver with needles, but we also were privileged to see the strength and the power of the woman. It was a beautiful thing to behold, the grace with which she faced her disease. What riveting television it was.
Godspeed, Farrah, the pain will be over soon…
If you missed this and are interested in future airings, here is a schedule:
OXYGEN - Sat, May 16 - 4:00 PM
OXYGEN - Sun, May 17 - 1:00 PM
BRAVO - Mon, May 18 - 11:00 PM
BRAVO - Tue, May 19 - 1:00 AM
After seeing Farrah Fawcett's documentary I am convinced that she is an extremely genuine person; it was wonderful of her to step outside of herself to make this documentary
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