| | CHICAGO -- Just two weeks ago, Walter Payton told author Don
Yaeger that he would beat the long odds against recovering from
cancer and liver disease.
|  | | Walter Payton lived six days after being told he had only 24 to 48 hours left. |
"They're going to write about me in the medical journals," the
former Chicago Bears' star told Yaeger, who was working with him on
his autobiography.
Yaeger, who documented Payton's last days for a Sports
Illustrated story, told the Chicago Tribune that despite his
refusal to give up, the NFL's career rushing leader was at peace.
Payton, who died Monday, disclosed in February that he had the
rare liver disease primary sclerosing cholangitis and needed a
liver transplant.
Yaeger said Payton learned during an examination at the Mayo
Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in May that he had cancer of the bile
duct, a vessel that carries digestive fluids from the liver to the
small intestine, the Tribune reported Wednesday.
Yaeger said the news devastated Payton, who thought he was
nearing the point when he would be eligible for a liver transplant.
Instead, he went home to face death.
Ginny Quirk, Payton's business manager, said Payton kept the
news of his cancer quiet because he did not want people to feel
sorry for him.
Yaeger said Payton asked to go home from the hospital last
Tuesday, after his kidneys shut down. He was given 24 to 48 hours
to live but lived six more days.
Yaeger said the title Payton picked for the book is "Never Die
Easy," a reference to a quote about his running style.
"He intended the book to be inspirational," Yaeger said. "He
made me promise that wouldn't depress people. He said, 'Make sure
people get a lot of good out of this story.' "
| |
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