Movie critic Roger Ebert expects to be back to work at his annual festival for overlooked movies this week. It will be his first public appearance since having cancer surgery last summer -- and while some say his appearance may attract the gossip papers, Ebert says, "So what?"Ebert, 64, will be seen at the ninth annual Overlooked Film Festival, beginning today at the University of Urbana-Champaign, wearing a gauze bandage around his neck. And his mouth will be seen to droop, he says.
This is all because of Ebert's tracheostomy -- it opens an airway through an incision in his windpipe, rendering him speechless -- that resulted from his June 16 surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland and a subsequent July 1 surgery to repair a burst blood vessel close to the same site.
On Tuesday, Ebert shared that his cancer began in his salivary gland but then spread to his lower right jaw. As a result, part of his mandible was removed and two surgeries were necessary to reconstruct the area. Both surgeries were unsuccessful, however, and led to unanticipated bleeding.
"The doctors now plan an approach that does not involve the risk of unplanned bleeding," Ebert, a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, says. "If all goes well, my speech will be restored."
This cancer survivor, who says we spend too much time hiding illness and is proud to be back in the spotlight, has also co-hosted the Ebert & Roeper television show with fellow Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper since 2000. Film critics and filmmakers have been filling in for Ebert during his recovery.
1. I commend Roger Ebert. I think this will help a bit with diminishing the stigma of illness and how it effects our appearance.
I have had cancer for nearl 10 years, but it is my current treatment that has changed my appearance. I am conflicted about my appearance. My nails were blackened then broke off. I use to tape them to hide it, but that took so much effect that I just let it show, lucky I was never a manicure fanatic or manicure person period. I hearly lost all my hair, Ihave just enough to stick out of a hat and appear as though a few wisps escaped. I am Chinese, so I have that flat back skull that does not wear bald well, I look like a monk or yoda. My skin is so dry, I have to ceremonially moisturize. That dryness has aged my skin, I use to have beautiful skin, that I never appreciated, but now think back to all the compliments I took for granted. And one of my eyes, droops a bit. My goodness, I have suddently changed so much.
Okay, enough of that, my point is, when our look changes for less than the better we self-stigmatize ourselves and isolate ourselves, at a time when we need to live to the fullest. Of course, this is not without the merits of other people. I now notice, you don't see many people whose look is less than "normal", oh yes, on the bus in wheel chairs, perhaps in the park or some stores, I mean at concerts, nice restaurants, upscale events, etc.
Roger Ebert is so courageous and I thank him !
I hope this wil help people who look different, come out of the closet ! I know it will help me.
Posted at 11:46AM on Apr 26th 2007 by Mercy Minor