Earlier this week, America's favorite "I'm cured but not really" thyroid patient, Oprah Winfrey, featured a heroic thyroid patient, the amazing Roger Ebert -- who is both film critic and thyroid cancer survivor -- on her show. Ebert shared his 2010 Oscar® picks, and allowed Oprah to follow him around to see what his life is like now that he no longer speaks or eats. (While Ebert has lost his ability to speak to multiple surgeries, he also revealed on the show a revolutionary technology that has synthesized his own voice from past show recordings, and allows him to type what he wants to say into a computer, and have it come out in his own voice, rather than a robotic or mechanical voice.) Ebert's Oprah appearance was the latest in his increasing frankness about life after thyroid cancer, and his experiences being unable to eat or speak. Frankly, a lot of what Ebert is sharing is more inspiring than any movie he's reviewed throughout his professional career.
More on Roger Ebert's Life After Thyroid Cancer
- Oprah Show: Roger Ebert Speaks Again -- Oprah.com site recap of Ebert's appearance on the show
- A Day in the Life of Roger and Chaz Ebert -- from Oprah.com
- Roger Ebert's New Voice -- hear the new synthesized voice created for Ebert using clips of his old shows
- Roger Ebert on "Oprah": The Critic's Voice -- Salon writer Mary Elizabeth Williams
- Roger Ebert Predicts the Oscars, Movingly: 'No More Surgery for Me' -- from Tv.Yahoo.com
- Thumbs Up to Thyroid Cancer Survivor and Film Critic Roger Ebert -- from Ebert's own blog
- Esquire magazine profile of Ebert
- Roger Ebert's Website
Photo: Sean Gallup / Getty Images Entertainment
Wow, go Roger Ebert! I actually didn’t know he was going through this kind of medical ordeal. He is lucky to have so many recordings of his own voice. I will tune in to check this out.
My reaction was shock and horror that anyone would want to live that way. As I may have to face something like this, god forbid, I would seriously consider suicide.
I have never seen in print what type of thyroid cancer he has. Does he have anaplastic? I feel so bad for him. I am a 12 year survivor of very aggressive papillary. Best of luck to him….he is a real trooper!
@ anon March 5:
Were I as graceless as you, God forbid, I would seriously consider suicide. Tool.