Sue Tabashnik

I knew that many people still miss Patrick, myself included. I thought that there was more of a story to tell. I wanted to help preserve his legacy of being a phenomenal artist and a man of character.

Patrick is loved and respected by his family, the people who worked with him, his friends, and his fans. I have always said that Patrick often played hero roles onscreen, and then he became a real-life hero while fighting pancreatic cancer with courage and grace. Patrick was always searching for meaning in his life and always looking for ways to improve himself as a person. Of course, this was even more true during his battle against cancer.

I would say that Story Two by Vicki Mancuso, Friend of Patrick, Dance Student of Patsy Swayze (page 141) speaks to Patrick’s courage and grace during his battle with pancreatic cancer. Vicki shares that she received a condolence call from Patrick (Buddy) on the evening her mother died.

Copyrighted material: Patrick said, “Little Bit, I wanted to see if you needed anything. I’m sorry for your loss. Barbara was an amazing woman to stop drinking the way she did and she taught you how to be strong.” I was still in shock, but I asked him how he was feeling, and he said, “Well, you know me, I’m fine.” (Typical Buddy) I remember telling him how much I appreciated him calling and he told me he would never forget the special people in his life. He then said, “You need anything, just call. Love you, Little Bit.”

About two weeks later, I found out that on the day my mom died, Patrick had just found out his cancer had spread to his liver. That was April 19, 2009.

I realized that Patrick was much more than a multi-talented artist, and that he had deep connections with many, many people and many, many people still have deep connections to him.

I think that Patrick was a genuine person who set out to make himself as good as he could be. Patrick deeply cared about others and the world and this is seen onscreen and off-screen. It is often said that Patrick wore his heart on his sleeve (just like his father).

Patsy started taking Patrick to her dance studio from the time he was very little and while there he was brought into the world of dance and music. He started dancing at about age 2 or 3 under her tutelage until he left to go to Disney on Parade and then to New York, where he studied at the Harkness Ballet and Joffrey Ballet. Patsy prepared Patrick (as she did all her students) to be a triple threat: a dancer, singer, and actor. Patsy instilled in Patrick an intense work ethic and the belief in communicating something through the arts. She remained a mentor to him throughout his life.

I met Patrick four times—twice at charity events he hosted for Complexions Contemporary Ballet in my hometown (Detroit) and twice at film festivals where he and Lisa’s movie One Last Dance was screening. Patrick was very passionate, down-to-earth, caring, humble, gracious—a Southern gentleman. I just cannot say enough about these experiences.

I was very inspired by meeting Patrick at the premiere of One Last Dance in Houston in 2003. The movie’s theme is that it is never too late to realize your dreams. Patrick talked about this while introducing the film. Patrick spent one-on-one time with his fans at the movie’s reception and spent time with his fan club members as a group several times, including running a question-and-answer session with his mom, Patsy, and giving autographs and photos. It was very surreal.

After returning from Houston, I decided that I was going to move from writing articles for Petrick's official fan club magazine to writing a book. Here I am five books later!

I am often asked which authors inspired me to become an author. I answer that actually, it was Patrick Swayze.

Due to being a fan of Patrick and then becoming a writer about him, I have really enjoyed talking with many, many other people who are also connected to Patrick.

I use both “hats” in a positive and professional way to enrich the books that I write.

I realized that so many fans were very deeply connected to Dirty Dancing, so I set out to explore, understand, and honor this phenomenon.

I think that countless people are still inspired by Patrick’s resilience throughout his life, and especially his courageous fight against pancreatic cancer. Patrick was known for his “never-give-up” way of living his entire life.

Obviously, cancer patients are inspired, but also people who are fighting all kinds of other battles and challenges. “If Patrick can fight pancreatic cancer, I can fight . . . “

Patrick was an advocate for dance, conservation, Arabian horses, and cancer diagnostic and treatment advances for all types of cancer.

I was honored to be asked to be a guest speaker at the Dirty Dancing Festival in Lake Lure in 2018. It was really amazing to be able to speak to so many (3000) enthusiastic Dirty Dancing fans at one of the two primary film locations and then to watch the movie under the stars.

I conducted thousands of interviews as a social worker over the years, so I think I have developed great interview skills. I am comfortable asking in-depth questions and relating to people. All of my books have interviews.

I will continue to do radio shows and podcasts to help promote Patrick’s legacy as being an immensely talented artist and a man of character and spirituality.

As to writing another book on Patrick, I do not know yet. I may switch gears to a different non-fiction topic.

It has been a great experience because AllAuthor delivers on what they say they will do. The rates are reasonable. The banners and posts are terrific. I find it a great way for readers to find out about my books, especially those readers in the UK.