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Patrick Swayze Faces Cancer & New TV Series Bravely

Updated 1:48 PM EST, Tue, Jan 6, 2009

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Patrick Swayze says his yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer didn’t stop him from pushing ahead on his new TV series.

Swayze says his new A&E cop drama, “The Beast,” which premieres next week, meant grueling 12-hour workdays, with chemotherapy sessions on the weekends.

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The 56-year-old actor tells ABC’s Barbara Walters in an exclusive interview Wednesday that he rejected painkilling drugs that would have taken the edge off his performance.

In five months of filming, Swayze missed just a day and a half at work.

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He tells Walters: “I’ve never been one to run from a challenge.”

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MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Patrick Swayze - TV - ABC - Celebrities - News

Copyright Access Hollywood
First Published: Jan 6, 2009 1:45 PM EST

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