Celebrities Who Recently Died Of Myeloid Leukemia
Celebrities who succumbed to acute myeloid leukemia in the recent past.
Myeloid leukemia has recently been in popular news: the reason being the latest death of famous Australian shark expert Ron Taylor of myeloid leukemia at the age of 78. The Australian mentions how Taylor along with his wife Valerie, were called by Hollywood director Steven Spielberg to shoot some of the underwater sequences for his smash hit movie Jaws( while there have been many moments-in-the-sun for Taylor, the Jaws shooting is the one which is most popular and oft quoted one).
Another well-known celebrity who passed away recently in June 2012 is Nora Ephron, Academy Award-winning writer and director. For those not aware of Ephron’s work, her credits include iconic Hollywood romantic hits like ‘Julie & Julia’, ‘You’ve Got Mail’, ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ and ‘When Harry Met Sally’.
Huffington Post reports that even though Ephron was in the know about her leukemia, she chose not to discuss it. Acute myeloid leukemia is what Ephron was diagnosed with. It was finally pneumonia, a complication of leukemia, which she ultimately succumbed to.
Terry Nutkins is another celebrity who passed away from acute myeloid leukemia in September 2012. Terry Nutkins gained recognition as a co-presenter of the BBC children’s show Animal Magic. The Really Wild Show also featured Nutkins in their program. According to The Telegraph, the former naturalist passed away after battling with the disease for about nine months.
Myeloid leukemia is the leukemia of the myeloid tissue. Acute myeloid leukemia and chronic myelogenous leukemia are the subtypes of myeloid leukemia. Those who are not in the know, white blood cells are usually the place where the leukemia begins. As per Mayo Clinic, in normal conditions, the white blood cells are the disease fighters of the body, but in case of leukemia, abnormal cells are produced, which fail to carry out their functions properly.
National Cancer Institute pegs figures of 47,150 for new cases of leukemia and 23,540 deaths from the disease in the United States in 2012. Reading the figures makes one almost not feel safe and secure: the morbid thought crosses the mind, what if it is me next? Well, it is not really so bad. There are numerous cures available now. Depending upon the type of leukemia diagnosed, treatment options include cell stem therapy, chemotherapy and stem cell transplants.