Concerns were raised about Williams’ health on Wednesday when he was ordered by doctors to take a week of rest after complaining of shortness of breath.

Reports on today suggested the comedy actor has been admitted to a Miami hospital to undergo tests, prompting his spokesperson to confirm Williams is putting work on hold to be treated for a heart condition.

The representative reveals he will “undergo surgery for an aortic valve replacement.”

A statement from 57-year-old Williams adds, “I’m so touched by everyone’s support and well wishes. This tour has been amazing fun and I can’t wait to get back out on the road after a little tune-up.”

Williams has been on the Broadway-bound 80-city tour since September and has played shows in 11 cities over the past three weeks.

His spokesperson insists he plans to be back onstage in the autumn.

Robin Williams To Undergo Heart Surgery

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His representative Annett Wolf told People magazine that the 56-year-old actor was now back at home.

“I am happy to announce that Patrick Swayze is home after a brief hospitalisation for pneumonia,” she said.

Swayze, who went in for observation on January 9th, may have only two years to live after being diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.

The hospitalisation meant the Dirty Dancing actor missed promotional work for his new hospital drama The Beast, which premiered on US networks on January 15th.

In a recent interview with People he accepted that he had between two and five years to live.

But remaining defiant he added: “I am alive and plan on continuing to stay that way.”

Cancer sufferer Patrick Swayze out of hospital

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Author Ian Halperin told In Touch magazine and Britain’s Sunday Express newspaper that the reclusive performer may even be fighting for his life, the Houston Chronicle newspaper reported on its Web site.

Halperin said Jackson has been diagnosed with Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, an occasionally fatal genetic condition.

“He’s had it for years, but it’s gotten worse,” Halperin told In Touch. “He needs a lung transplant but may be too weak to go through with it. He also has emphysema and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, which his doctors have had a lot of trouble stopping. It’s the bleeding that is the most problematic part. It could kill him,” according to the Chronicle.

Jackson “can barely speak” and “the vision in his left eye is 95 percent gone,” Halperin said.

Jackson’s spokesman was unavailable for comment Sunday. But the singer’s brother Jermaine didn’t deny the reports, telling Fox News, “He’s not doing so well right now. This isn’t a good time,” the Chronicle reported.

Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, treated Jackson at Lenox Hill in 1999.

“Alpha-1-anti-trypsin deficiency is a relatively rare genetic disorder that becomes apparent in young adulthood and early middle age, especially if smoking is added to the equation,” Horovitz said in a hospital news release. “The liver can also be affected, causing cirrhosis. The disease produces an early-onset emphysema, just as one might see in an older smoker. Treatment for mild or moderate cases involves infusions of a specific medication. In advanced stages, a lung transplant may be necessary.

“Since this is a genetic disorder, other members of the Jackson family must be tested for this genetic variant,” Horovitz added.

washingtonpost.com

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“I’m very proud of the work I’ve done on my new series ‘The Beast,’ and I am happy to be back home for the holidays.”

In his first television interview since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year, Swayze and his wife Lisa Niemi will speak exclusively to Barbara Walters. The interview is scheduled to take place at his California ranch and will air in January.

In the statement, Swayze said, “It’s a great feeling of accomplishment to say you’re gonna do something and do it.”

“The only thorn in my side being that many tabloids have been consistently reporting lies and false information about me and those close to me,” he continued. “And latest, they’re reporting that I’m on my last legs and saying goodbye to my tearful family!

“Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease, and from the moment I was diagnosed, I knew I was in for the fight of my life. It’s a battle, and so far, I’ve been winning. I’m one of the lucky few that responds well to treatment. It’s upsetting that the shoddy and reckless reporting from these publications cast a negative shadow on the positive and good fight I’m fighting. For me, my family, and those close to me, it amounts to downright emotional cruelty. That makes me angry when hope is so precious.

“As always, I appreciate all the love and support people have sent and continue to send my way,” Swayze concluded. “I thank you.”

ABC News: Patrick Swayze Says He’s Winning Cancer Battle, Will Sit Down With Barbara Walters

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According to a representative for the actor, “We can confirm that Gale Harold was in a motorcycle accident yesterday, Oct 14. He has fractured his shoulder and is under observation to assess any possible further injuries. Everyone is hopeful for a full recovery. No one else was injured in the accident.”

Update: Despite assurances to me from Gale’s reps that the information above is correct, according to reports, Gale’s condition is officially classified as critical, and physicians are concerned about brain swelling. A statement from Desperate Housewives producers is expected shortly.

Gale Harold plays Jackson, Susan Mayer’s (Teri Hatcher) new man, this season on Desperate Housewives. He also has a huge cult following among TV fans from his days on Showtime’s Queer as Folk.

Story developing…check back for updates.

Desperate Housewives Star Gale Harold Hospitalized – E! Online

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The Spaniard was admitted to Madrid’s La Paz hospital on 6 October after briefly losing consciousness.

The hospital said on Friday he had left intensive care, having been “admitted because of a partial epileptic fit”.

But on Sunday, Ballesteros, 51, said: “I inform you that after an exhaustive check that was realised at Hospital La Paz, a brain tumour has been detected.”

Ballesteros said he will undergo a biopsy on Tuesday and then doctors would decide on a course of treatment.

He added: “Throughout my entire career I have been one of the best at overcoming obstacles on the golf course.

“And now I want to be the best, facing the most difficult game of my life, using all my strength and also counting on those who have been sending me get-well messages.

“Now I’ve been able to tell my three children personally and their mother, now I can tell you the illness that I am suffering from. After the exhaustive tests that I have undertaken in the Hospital La Paz they have detected a brain tumour.

“I have always sympathised with those people who face illnesses.

“Therefore, I want to remind them that with bravery, faith, serenity, confidence and a lot of mental strength, we have to face any situation no matter how difficult it is.”

Ballesteros asked for his family’s privacy to be respected while promising to keep people regularly informed of his condition.

“Now my wish is to ask for respect for my family and especially for my children. We will keep you informed,” he continued.

“I want to thank from the bottom of my heart all those people who have shown affection and interest in my state of health, with all kinds of support. Many thanks.”

Fellow Spanish golfers Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez responded to Sunday’s announcement by wishing Ballesteros a speedy recovery.

Olazabal, who visited Ballesteros in hospital, said he was “confident” he would recover, adding: “While I’m rightly worried, I thought Seve seemed very well. We were talking for a good while. I wish him a speedy recovery.”

Jimenez added: “Seve, we love you. We all hope you recover as soon as possible and we’re waiting for you.”

Ballesteros, a five-time major winner who suffered from an arthritic back and knee problems late in his career, retired in 2007.

He won 87 titles during his career, including the Open in 1979, 1984 and 1988 and the Masters in 1980 and 1983.

He also played an inspirational role in the Ryder Cup, winning 20 points from 37 matches, as well as captaining Europe to victory at the Spanish course of Valderrama in 1997.

Ballesteros had moved to reassure fans on Thursday by telling his official website: “I wish to inform that I am feeling very well.

“I am awaiting the results of the tests that I have been going through. I wish to personally thank all of those who are concerned about my health condition.

“I want you to know they make me feel very good and I feel greatly supported by all of you.”

BBC SPORT | Golf | Seve diagnosed with brain tumour

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Brin, 35, revealed that his DNA had been examined by 23andMe, a genetic testing company co-founded by his wife, Anne Wojcicki. The results showed that his genetic make-up included a mutation of a gene known as LRRK2, which several studies have linked to Parkinson’s.

Writing in a new blog, Brin acknowledged that the implications of his discovery were “not entirely clear”, but he added: “It is clear that I have a markedly higher chance of developing Parkinson’s in my lifetime than the average person.”

He cited studies that put that chance at anywhere between 20% and 80% — a margin that some researchers have said is too broad to be worth consideration. One New York neurologist noted that many people with Brin’s mutation, which is known to specialists as G2019S, never develop the disease.

Supporters of genetic testing argue that the DNA results provide important information about health probabilities that can inspire patients to take appropriate action. Critics have argued that the tests may cause psychological problems if patients begin to worry about diseases they may contract in decades ahead.

Brin declared himself “fortunate” to have learnt about his genetic make-up. His mother, Eugenia, has already been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and a DNA test has revealed that she also carries the G2019S mutation.

“This leaves me in a rather unique position,” Brin wrote in his blog. “I know early in my life something I am substantially predisposed to. I now have the opportunity to reduce those odds.”

Brin and his parents have already donated nearly £1m towards research at the hospital in Baltimore where his mother has been treated. With a fortune estimated at £8.7 billion — which according to Forbes magazine makes him America’s 13th richest person — he may be inclined to spend millions more on research into what is currently an incurable disease.

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Christina Applegate says her doctors

NEW YORK (AP) — Christina Applegate is taking the long view of her battle with breast cancer — the really long view.

Speaking on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” in her first interview since announcing her diagnosis this month, the “Samantha Who?” star said she had a double mastectomy three weeks ago. She’ll undergo reconstructive surgery over the next eight months.

“I’m going to have cute boobs till I’m 90, so there’s that,” she joked in the interview, which aired Tuesday. “I’ll have the best boobs in the nursing home. I’ll be the envy of all the ladies around the bridge table.”

The 36-year-old actress elected to remove both breasts even though the disease was contained in one breast. She said she is now cancer-free.

Applegate called the operation a logical decision. Her mother battled breast cancer, and she tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation linked to breast and ovarian cancer.

“I just wanted to kind of be rid of it,” she said. “So this was the choice I made, and it was a tough one.”

The experience has been an emotional roller coaster, she said.

“Sometimes, you know, I cry, and sometimes I scream, and I get really angry, and I get really like, you know, into wallowing in self-pity sometimes,” she said. “And I think that’s — it’s all part of healing, and anyone who’s going through it out there, it’s OK to cry. It’s OK to fall on the ground and just scream if you want to.”

The Emmy-nominated “Samantha Who?” star has kept her sense of humor intact.

“I’ve laughed so much in the last three weeks,” she said. “I love living, and I really love my life, and I knew that from this moment on it was only going to be good that was going to be coming. Yeah, I’ll face challenges, but you can’t get any darker than where I’ve been. So knowing that in my soul gave me the strength to just say, ‘I have to get out there and make this a positive.’ ”

Applegate’s cancer was detected early through a doctor-ordered MRI. She said she’s starting a program to help women at high risk for breast cancer to meet the costs of an MRI, which is not always covered by insurance.

The news of breast cancer initially shook her up, she said.

“I was so mad,” she told “GMA.” “I was just shaking and — and then also immediately, I had to go into … ‘take-care-of-business-mode,’ which was … I asked them, ‘What do I do now? What — what is it that I do? I get a doctor, I get a surgeon, I get an oncologist? What do I do?’ ”

The actress said she quickly made appointments and also changed her diet to one consisting of fish, grains, beans and vegetables, avoiding processed foods.

Applegate is scheduled to appear on a one-hour TV special, “Stand Up to Cancer,” to be aired on ABC, CBS and NBC on September 5 to raise funds for cancer research.

The special will also include a new song, “Just Stand Up,” which features Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood. The song will debut on radio and iTunes on September 2. All sales of the star-studded single will benefit cancer research.

The charity tune was conceived by Antonio “L.A.” Reid, who produced it with longtime creative colleague Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds.

Applegate has been nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the ABC show “Samantha Who?” in which she plays a woman who wakes from a coma with no memory of who she is.

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