Lisa Niemi Opens Up On Patrick Swayze's Last Days On 'Oprah'

Updated 8:00 PM EDT, Fri, Oct 30, 2009

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Patrick Swayze wrote touching words to his wife in a memoir due out Sept. 29.

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Lisa Niemi spoke out on Friday in her first television interview since the death of her husband, Patrick Swayze, in an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

"Every moment of every breath of every day in the last 22 months before he died, every single one of those was special," Lisa, who was married to the actor for 38 years before his passing from pancreatic cancer in September, told Oprah.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: A Look Back: Remembering Patrick Swayze

"Were his final days peaceful?" Oprah asked.

"Luckily, he was very comfortable," Lisa answered. "Not in pain."

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Patrick Swayze & Lisa Niemi: A Love Story

In his final hours, Lisa stayed by Patrick's bedside, keeping control of his pain medication in her hand.

"There's a strange, difficult transition from trying to treat and get better to try to make comfortable — very, very hard to do," Lisa explained.

Of the brave star's last day, Lisa said she could feel it coming.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Patrick Swayze Filmography

"His heart is so strong, metaphorically, and literally — but it was only so long that his heart was going to keep going," she told Oprah. "I was afraid to leave his side, and luckily I was so happy I was there."

While Patrick's long battle was full of tough moments, Lisa also recalled their 2008 wedding vow renewal, which she described as a "fairy tale."

"He rode in on a stallion?" Oprah asked.

"A white horse. After 34 years, finally he rides in on a white horse and I was happy," she said. "It was incredibly magical."

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