Farrah Fawcett Ignored Initial Cancer Symptoms While Caring for Dying 91-Year-Old Mother, Alana Stewart Reveals

• Farrah Fawcett ignored her first symptoms of cancer.
• She cared for her dying mother, putting her health in second place.
• After her death, Ryan O'Neal still honored her memory with flowers: "It was his way of telling her how much he loved her."

Farrah Fawcett was no stranger to dealing with cancer as her older sister, Diane, had passed away in 1998 after a battle with lung cancer. The actress' longtime boyfriend, Ryan O'Neal, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2001 but successfully beat it.

In 2006, Fawcett was diagnosed, which she quickly tackled with radiation and chemotherapy (chemo). The following year, on her 60th birthday, she was declared cancer-free from anal cancer.

Three months later, she went in for a checkup that revealed the disease had returned. The "Charlie's Angels" star's illness had metastasized to her liver, and the condition was what finally took her life.

Fawcett died at age 62 in 2009 in the presence of O'Neal and her friends Mela Murphy and Alana Stewart. In June 2023, almost fourteen years after the celebrity's death, Stewart shared her recollection of her friend's battle with the disease.

She recalled how the actress had always been determined in everything she attempted. Stewart said her friend faced her diagnosis head-on and was determined to win because she was competitive and didn't like losing.

Fawcett wanted to survive cancer to start her foundation, run it, and continue living. Her pal said she kept pushing when many people believed she wouldn't make it and suffered through painful procedures.

She tackled cancer with courage, grace, and dignity, and although she lost the battle, Stewart declared it "her finest hour," showing the world what she was capable of and how much she loved life and wanted to live.

Fawcett's motivation to live was O'Neal and their son, Redmond. According to Stewart, "No one wants to die, but she had such a determination to not give up." That's how it was until the end.

Stewart also recalled how a nurse said they had never seen anyone fight the way the actress did in the last two months of her life. The nurse was also in awe of her determination to stay alive.

Despite Fawcett taking on her disease with a lot of courage and strength, it took her a while to attend to her diagnosis when she first became aware of it. It wasn't because she was too busy working, but due to a close relationship with someone special in her life.

What Farrah Did When She Noticed Her Cancer Symptoms

Stewart recalled how Fawcett started showing cancer symptoms while caring for her ill mother for a couple of months in Texas. Sadly, the star's mother passed away at age 91 in 2005.

Fawcett's mother was dying, and though she started having cancer symptoms while caring for her mother, she chose to ignore them in order to focus on taking care of her ailing parent.

However, when she returned from Texas, O'Neal urged her to see a doctor for a checkup, and she obliged. A colonoscopy determined her diagnosis.

Stewart wondered if Fawcett's life would have had a different outcome if she had listened to her body and had seen a doctor when her symptoms began. She noted how easy it was to ignore the signs thinking they weren't serious or that you'll deal with them next week or month.

Thus, an organization founded in Fawcett's honor after her death is vouching for early detection and prevention because most cancers are cured when caught sooner. Fawcett's cancer was already stage 4 when she learned about it, and Stewart believes she would've been alive today if she had done something sooner.

In 2006, Stewart was in Germany when she learned about her friend's diagnosis. Her daughter had asked her if the rumors were true that Fawcett had cancer. Stewart was shocked and shrugged it off as tabloid nonsense until she learned about it from Fawcett herself.

It was nighttime in Los Angeles when she rang Fawcett, who took a while to answer. But when she did, Stewart went straight to the point and said:

"'Listen, I just heard this crazy rumor about you having cancer.' She just started to cry. That's how I found out."

Although Fawcett isn't around anymore, Stewart and O'Neal kept her legacy alive through the foundation established in her name. O'Neal also still pays tribute to the late actress yearly.

How Ryan Helped Continue Farrah's Legacy and How He Still Honors Her Today

According to Stewart, Fawcett wished to set up a foundation that would help other anal cancer patients, but her diagnosis worsened. She confessed how difficult it was to see the celebrity in her last months.

Initially, the star was excited and couldn't wait to get back to living, but she became quite frail. Even when things got worse, she kept her humor, and despite experiencing lots of pain, she continued being kind to everyone.

The last weeks of her life were trying, and Stewart and O'Neal leaned on each other for support. In 2019, O'Neal recalled the woman he fell for in 1979, saying:

"There was never a day I didn't love her."

In 1985, O'Neal and Fawcett welcomed their son Redmond, but they never tied the knot. The couple separated in 1997 but revealed they would co-parent and raise their son.

[Fawcett's] friends were determined to be there for her, but a time came when they looked at one another and knew the truth...

In 2001, they reunited when O'Neal was diagnosed with cancer, and she cared for him. During her final days, he brought her happiness by always making her laugh and even slept by her cot when she was at Los Angeles' St. John's Medical Center.

Murphy recalled that the night before Fawcett died, O'Neal kept talking until he got to the story of how he and the love of his life first met. She shared, "It was his way of telling her how much he loved her." Fawcett looked over at Murphy, rolled her eyes, but smiled.

Stewart recalled how O'Neal remained by Fawcett's side all the time and how they didn't want to admit that things weren't looking great. She believed the late star also didn't want to face the truth, and she continued fighting for her life.

The celebrity's friends were determined to be there for her, but a time came when they looked at one another and knew the truth—she wasn't going to heal. Murphy said the last thing her friend said before her death was her son's name.

Almost fourteen years after Fawcett's death, O'Neal still honors her. This year, to commemorate Valentine's Day, he placed a red rose on her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and shared a photo of it on his Instagram with the caption:

"My forever Valentine…"

In tribute to the actress, the Farrah Fawcett Foundation was created to help with extensive research into prevention programs and HPV-related cancers. The late celebrity's estate tasked Stewart to oversee the foundation.

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