Melissa Gilbert was deeply emotionally connected to Michael Landon and Patrick Swayze, two very important men in her life, who were sadly taken by pancreatic cancer.

This is how he described his co-star: “Michael was the epitome of physical well-being.”
“This is what killed two of the strongest and physically extraordinary men I’ve ever met,” he said referring to Landon and Swayze. “Athletic, talented, I mean, everything.”
To me, these men were pillars, almost like superheroes. To see something like that take them down like that was devastating.
His friend Patrick Swayze and his “father of the heart” and co-star of the Ingalls family, Michael Landon, died from this disease, which is the third leading cause of death from cancer in the United States. Melissa defined her as brutal and pernicious.

Pancreatic cancer is rarely curable and has a five-year survival rate of less than 13%. Because it presents few symptoms in its early stages and there is no early detection tests, it is usually not detected until it is in advanced stages, making it one of the most lethal cancers.
The beloved actress lends her financial help to PanCAN, the first organization that provides containment and assistance to patients and family members living the scourge of this disease.
In Argentina, malignant tumors were the third cause of death in the country, representing almost 15% of deaths, due to their late diagnosis and their aggressiveness. Every year about five thousand cases of pancreatic cancer are detected in Argentina, and only 10% is diagnosed in early stages.