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Dana Reeve Dies at Age 44; Dealing With Cancer; Interview With Former Surgeon General David Satcher

Aired March 07, 2006 - 14:57   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Caregiver, and activist and inspiration -- Dana Reeve leaves a legacy of dedication, having spent many of her 44 years living for other.
Reeve's death last night from lung cancer means 13-year-old Will Reeve has now lost both his parents. His dad, actor Christopher Reeve, died in 2004, after a decade of near total paralysis from a horse-riding accident. Dana Reeve's constant support and care for her husband garnered worldwide admiration, and she became a tireless advocate for spinal cord research. She revealed that she had lung cancer in August.

Well, she and Christopher Reeve's son is 13 years old. What he saw and experienced after his father's paralyzing accident was always very much on his mother's mind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA REEVE, WIDOW OF CHRISTOPHER REEVE: This boy has had a lot of lessons that he has learned in life that I would rather he hadn't had to learn so young, frankly. And -- but, at the same time, it is a kind of gift. And I think one of the greatest gifts we can give our children are the tools to face life's inevitable adversity. And he is the definition of resilience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Many parents aren't prepared for the worst-case scenario, though, dying young, leaving young children alone in the world.

The former is unlikely, but it happens -- the latter, completely preventable.

Joining me now in Washington is a family law attorney Deborah Luxenberg.

And, Deborah, I know you have handled so many of these cases. I guess, if there is a little bit of a positive note here, it's that Dana Reeve had a -- at least a chance to think about guardianship, and, more than likely, have a heart-to-heart discussion with her son, right?

DEBORAH LUXENBERG, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: Yes. I imagine she would have, because she seemed to be a very loving and very responsible person. PHILLIPS: And she has said that -- she has even been on the air, talking about how she and her husband, Christopher Reeve, talked about death all the time, and what she was going to do, and what he wanted. And they -- she even said they had a lot of inspiring and beautiful conversations.

But when it comes down to dealing with your son, and knowing that he will no longer have both parents, what needs to happen in that discussion, when you are sitting down with him, or her, or possibly more than one child, when you know you're going to pass, and you are the last parent? What needs to happen in that discussion with your child?

LUXENBERG: Well, first of all, I should say, the first discussion that should be had is between two healthy parents, deciding on one person to become a guardian, because, if something happens to both of them or one predeceases the other, then they are going to be faced with the problem that somebody is going to have to be the guardian of the child.

That said, if the children are old enough, talking to them makes absolute sense, because, for instance, a grandparent might be the person who makes the most sense, but they may live in a place far away. And a teenager might really need the stability of finishing school at a place they have gone to for a really long time.

PHILLIPS: So, what steps do you need to take to appoint a guardian?

LUXENBERG: Well, you should make a will. And you should know that the surviving parent will be the custodian or the guardian of a child.

It's only when there's no surviving parent that the court will actually appoint a guardian. And that will, will advice the court as to the wishes of the parent and will be given great credence in any decision for guardianship.

PHILLIPS: Verbal agreement is not enough, correct?

LUXENBERG: That is absolutely correct. It needs to be a written instrument.

And the thing we have just seen in the tragic death of -- of Dana Reeve and -- and how alive and beautiful, at the age of 44, when her husband, for so long, had a death sentence hanging over him, was that somebody in that same situation might think it's absolutely not going to happen to me.

And, so, the responsible thing is to think about who is going to take care of your kids if something does happen...

PHILLIPS: And...

LUXENBERG: ... when you're well. PHILLIPS: And you brought -- yes, you brought up a good point. So, let's say you're well. Your children are -- say, they're teenagers, and they -- you can have a conversation with them about this. Do you -- how do you do it?

Do you -- do you sit down and say, OK, here -- here are some options that I think would be a good idea, your uncle, your aunt, your grandmother, my best friend? How do you feel about that? Would you be comfortable with them?

How do you have that discussion? Are those the type of questions that you need to ask?

LUXENBERG: Well, first of all, I think the parent really needs to think about who should be the guardian, and then they need to talk to whoever they think should be the best, to see if they're willing to do it.

Having a conversation with the child, without knowing what the realistic options, doesn't make any sense. And, in any event, this is going to be a really difficult conversation to have. So, I think it's more important to have a good idea in place, and then only talk to a child who is -- who is a teenager, I think.

Anyone who has questions might want to talk to a therapist, might want to talk to their therapist, or a child, if there is one. I think that would be enormously difficult to have directly with the child.

PHILLIPS: It's great advice. Deborah Luxenberg, family attorney there in Washington, thanks for your time.

LUXENBERG: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: Well, cancer diagnosis doesn't have to be a death sentence, but it does mean the start of a battle with chemotherapy or radiation or other potent weapons. Some patients also try experimental therapies.

CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us with one man's story -- Sanjay.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, it's a remarkable story. Actually, Bobby Yoakum, we met him down at M.D. Anderson in Texas, been given a -- a diagnosis of lung cancer. Sort of, where do you begin? How does the process actually happen for you, in terms of getting into clinical trial and seeing where that might take you?

Here's Bobby's story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know where Bob is going to be sitting. Bobby will be sitting to my left, to the congregation's right. And he will be approximately eight to nine rows back. He is always there. GUPTA (voice-over): By all odds, Bobby Yoakum should not be alive. A Baptist church deacon, he prays each day his stage-four lung cancer won't take him.

BOBBY YOAKUM, CANCER PATIENT: If you have an cancer, don't worry. That's not going to solve it. Don't worry. You pray about it. You trust God. You have faith. Have faith in God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ninety-seven...

(CROSSTALK)

YOAKUM: Ninety-seven? OK.

GUPTA: Bobby spends his days receiving chemotherapy, sometimes radiation, and one experimental drug after another.

Dr. Roy Herbst is Bobby's doctor, a pioneer in new therapies to beat back lung cancer.

DR. ROY HERBST, PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, M.D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER THORACIC PROGRAM: More and more, I'm developing a group of patients who are long-term survivors of this disease.

GUPTA: Dr. Herbst first ordered Bobby a foul-tasting mystery drink. He wanted to know if pure shark cartilage worked on lung cancer.

YOAKUM: I knew it -- it would taste terrible, but anything that he suggested, if Dr. Herbst said it, I was willing to try. I have nothing to lose.

HERBST: This is actually...

GUPTA: And, in the beginning, plan A was a hit.

HERBST: And you can see, the main mass has -- has pretty much disappeared.

GUPTA: But, after 15 months of remission, the cancer began spreading. Bobby moved on to Plan B, more chemo and a new experimental drug. But like almost all clinical trials, Plan B soon flopped.

HERBST: His tumor grew by -- by more than 20 percent. So, he had to come off the study.

GUPTA: Bobby was disappointed, but hopes that his participation may have a larger purpose.

YOAKUM: Thank you, sir. Thank you.

It's not just going to benefit me. What they find out is going to benefit the public. And that's why I was willing to do this.

GUPTA: Clearly, a single drug will not magically cure Bobby Yoakum and the more than 175,000 Americans living with lung cancer. Bobby is now on Plan C.

HERBST: We're not going to make it all go away, so what we're really trying to do is -- is knock it down as much as we can.

GUPTA: The Yoakums are left with the promise of new drugs, new weapons in the FDA pipeline.

HERBST: Hi.

Just days later...

(CROSSTALK)

HERBST: Well, I guess congratulations are in order?

YOAKUM: Yes.

GUPTA: ... a new weapon does arrive.

HERBST: A drug we have worked on here for, you know, probably about three, four years now got its FDA approval.

GUPTA: Tarceva, a once-a-day pill, was fast-tracked when trials showed it prolonged lives.

HERBST: In someone like Mr. Yoakum, who, of course, is here on -- on a regular basis, who -- who follows what's going on in our research, you know, we have already talked to him about, you know, what next?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: And, you know, I will tell you, Bobby Yoakum is doing well. He's been on Tarceva for some time now and continues to do well. But this is the sort of -- sort of thing that someone will go through if they end up on a clinical trial, trying different things, and -- and seeing what works and what doesn't -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, as far as we know, what other drugs for lung cancer do we know about, and how well do they work?

GUPTA: Well, Tarceva is the one that we mentioned there.

There's -- there's drug called Avastin as well, which is in clinical trials. It is not -- not officially approved by the FDA, but is being used off-label, they say. And, then, you -- you were talking with your previous guest last hour about Iressa, which is in clinical trials as well.

But they're not enrolling any new patients in those clinical trials at this point. So, you know, these are the targeted therapies that people talk so much about, the three drugs that are -- people are -- are focusing a lot of attention on.

PHILLIPS: Thanks for following up on Iressa. I appreciate that, Sanjay... (LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: ... very much.

GUPTA: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

CNN's Paula Zahn got a firsthand look at the extraordinary bond between Dana and Christopher Reeve. She had a chance to interview each of them.

She joins to us now to reminisce a bit.

Definitely not an easy day for you, Paula.

PAULA ZAHN, HOST, "PAULA ZAHN NOW": It's a sad day for those of us who had the privilege of knowing Dana and for the millions of people who never had the -- the privilege of meeting her, but certainly were inspired by her legacy.

She was a very special person, probably one of the most selfless women I have ever met. And, believe me, on this job, you meet a lot of incredible people.

She was very honest about the challenges involved in taking care of Chris. She talked about, one of the gifts of his paralysis was that she focused on family and her friends in -- in a way that she never had before, but she never, never lied about what it was like to live with the constant fear of knowing that a simple infection could cost Chris his life.

And -- and that is the way she had to live for so many years. This is hard to believe that one family would have to endure as much as Dana and her family has endured.

PHILLIPS: Well, we have a clip from when you, I believe, talked to Christopher Reeve. We want to take a listen to that and get you to respond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "PAULA ZAHN NOW," NOVEMBER 21, 2003)

ZAHN: Would you be alive today if it weren't for Dana's love?

CHRISTOPHER REEVE, ACTOR: No. And if I were single, I wouldn't be, you know, if I didn't have that kind of a life, you know, the life, you know, with Dana and with the family.

(CROSSTALK)

C. REEVE: I mean, it was all the difference in the world.

ZAHN: How grateful are you for that?

C. REEVE: Extremely. Extremely, because all my life, I had prided myself on being so self-sufficient, you know, that -- absolutely just take care of myself. I don't need anybody. You know, I -- and then you realize how lucky you are to have people who are there for you, no matter what.

Yes, it may be an achievement to fly solo, but there's a great deal more true satisfaction in flying together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Talk about a true love affair.

ZAHN: It...

PHILLIPS: And, just looking at those pictures, just thinking about their son, Will, 13 years old, Paula, that's -- that's the next part of the story, just wondering about who he will live with and -- and how he is handling this.

ZAHN: And that clearly is something the family doesn't want to focus on at all today.

But I also got to spend a little bit of time with Will over the years, as I was interviewing both of his parents. And he is one amazing young boy. And he certainly learned a very powerful lesson from his mother, because one of the things Dana talked so openly about was the fact that life isn't fair, and that we shouldn't expect it to be fair.

And she said: Paula, I could sit here and wallow in self-pity, or I can grow from what has been handed my way.

And I think, if there is any legacy at all that we need to honor today, it is the fact that Dana taught us all an awful lot about how to live. And she, more than anybody else, talked about this -- this gratitude that sometimes grows out of the most awful circumstances. And, you know, you talk to anybody at the foundation, as I did today, the one thing they will tell you, despite the many challenges in her life, particularly after her own diagnosis, she was in that foundation that she helped create with Chris. She was poring over grant applications.

This was a genuine, smart women, who cared very deeply about this very important work being done in paralysis. And -- and I one of the things that impressed me the most is the fact that she had contact with many families that went through the same thing she had to go through on a daily basis. And her friends at the foundation said she spent time with these families. She wanted to answer their questions. She wanted to provide them information that, in some way, could lift their burden. She was one incredible, courageous, lovely, lovely woman.

PHILLIPS: Paula Zahn, we look forward to your special coverage tonight, 8:00 Eastern time, "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

Thank you so much, Paula.

ZAHN: My pleasure, Kyra. PHILLIPS: We're going to continue talking about cancer, dealing with this disease that has touched so many lives.

E-mail us at LIVEFROM@CNN.com. Dr. Otis Brawley, a cancer specialist at Emory University, is going to join us later in the hour.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANE SAWYER, ABC NEWS: He said to me at one point, you know, it -- sometimes, you pay rent to be on this Earth and to have a chance to do good. You pay rent on the -- for the chance to live on Earth and get to do the things you want to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: People find fame in all sorts of ways.

Dana Reeve found it by caring. The widow and, before that, the advocate, companion and helpmate of actor Christopher Reeve, died of lung cancer at 44. She learned she had the disease in August, less than a year after her paralyzed husband died. She carried on her work for paralysis cures and became the chairwoman of the foundation that bears his name.

Here are some numbers you should know about lung cancer and women. It kills more women than any other disease, more than breast cancer and all other gynecological cancer -- or cancers, rather, combined. In the past 20 years, lung cancer deaths among men increased 20 percent, but they shot up 150 percent for women.

Exposure to secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in people who have never smoked a cigarette. Finally, this: Lung cancer deaths among women increased 600 percent from 1950 to 1997 -- 600 percent in less than 50 years.

Dr. David Satcher was the U.S. surgeon general. He's currently the interim president of the Morehouse School of Medicine.

Interesting numbers with regard to women -- why has it shot up so dramatically?

DR. DAVID SATCHER, FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Well, if you go back to the surgeon general's report on smoking and health in 1964, since that time, smoking has decreased dramatically in men in this country, but it has not decreased that much among women.

In fact, if you go at the high school level, girls are as likely to be smoking, and more so, than boys now. So, what we have seen in recent years is the impact of that on women. Since 1987, lung cancer death have surpassed breast cancer death in women by about 27,000 in the year 2000 alone.

PHILLIPS: And we can't forget all the lawsuits and -- and the -- the stories and attacks on the -- the cigarette companies.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: And we have seen how that has all changed, with regard to advertising and warnings...

SATCHER: Right.

PHILLIPS: ... and all of that. Has that made a difference at all?

SATCHER: Well, first, I think we ought to point out that cigarette companies did, in fact, target women. There were -- there were -- there were advertisement, marketing, directly toward women for many years. And I think it paid off, in the sense that more women smoke.

In recent years, we have seen a decline in smoking. It's about 22 percent overall now in the country. It was closer to 40 percent when the surgeon general released his report in '64. So, we are making progress, but we need to continue to make that progress.

PHILLIPS: I want to bring up one e-mail. This comes to us from Serkan. We will get it up here on the screen.

He asks: "When should a person get checked for lung cancer, every year, every six months, every five years, or when she or he gets a regular checkup?"

SATCHER: Lung cancer is not one of those diseases that we can screen for very easily. There are some things we can screen for. Colorectal cancer is a good example, prostate cancer even less so than colorectal cancer.

PHILLIPS: And why is that? Because Dr. Sanjay Gupta brought that up as well. Why isn't there a better screening process for it?

SATCHER: Well, lung cancer can be very tiny, until it has spread.

And that's one of the reasons that the five-year survival rate is so low for lung cancer, because, by the time you detect it, in many cases, it has already spread there. There is no good screening test for lung cancer. There is an excellent screening test for colorectal cancer. We can save a lot of lives.

PHILLIPS: Kirby Puckett, I want to ask you about that, because you had some interesting thoughts.

You said, actually, a lot of athletes die young. Why is that?

SATCHER: Well, first, let me say, Kirby Puckett was a great athlete. And it's hard to be a baseball fan and not really love this guy, because of -- his attitude was so great.

But it is true that a lot of professional athletes, once they stop playing and become relatively inactive, are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease. So, unfortunately, we see a lot of early death among former professional athletes, baseball players, as well as football players, especially.

PHILLIPS: Wow, because they used to have to work out on...

SATCHER: That's right.

PHILLIPS: ... on such an intense basis, right...

SATCHER: Right. Exactly.

PHILLIPS: ... and always be in the best shape. And, once you get out of that routine, your body can...

SATCHER: Exactly.

PHILLIPS: ... can fail quickly, yes?

SATCHER: Cardiovascular disease -- especially if you're hypertensive. And -- and hypertension, of course, is probably the greatest risk factor for stroke. That means that...

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Do you think he had hypertension?

SATCHER: I haven't seen that, but I'm almost always certain that he did. It's a risk factor for glaucoma. It's a risk factor for stroke. It's a major risk factor for stroke.

And, so, not being active on a regular basis dramatically increases risk for dying from either a heart attack or stroke.

PHILLIPS: Interesting. So, you see a possible connection with the glaucoma and the stroke?

SATCHER: Yes. Mmm-hmm.

PHILLIPS: Wow. And you also mentioned a high number of African- American, you said, have hypertension or -- or some...

SATCHER: African-American men have the greatest risk for hypertension of any group in this country.

PHILLIPS: Why is that?

SATCHER: Well, we don't know all of the reasons why hypertension is so common among African-Americans generally.

It has to do with, obviously, diet, activity, genetics. All of those things come together in creating a risk for hypertension. But we do know that it is what we call the silent killer, because, often, it doesn't cause pain. And, so, you detect it by screening. You can screen -- screen for hypertension. And you can treat and control it, but many people don't feel any pain, and their blood pressures are sky-high.

And, so, the first you know of it, they die of a stroke or a heart attack. That's why it's so important to, on a regular basis, screen for hypertension, and then to treat it aggressively, which is not always easy, because some people don't like to take the treatment.

PHILLIPS: Yes. It's such -- oh, we -- I don't think anyone likes to take any sort of treatment, you know...

SATCHER: That's right.

PHILLIPS: ... when it comes...

(CROSSTALK)

SATCHER: Especially when the problem doesn't hurt.

PHILLIPS: Sure.

SATCHER: You know, I felt fine, even though my blood pressure was significantly elevated. And now you tell me I need to take these medications, which make -- sometimes make me feel worse.

PHILLIPS: Dr. Satcher, we're lucky to have you here in Atlanta. We are glad you're at Morehouse.

SATCHER: Well, it's great to be here.

PHILLIPS: Thank you very much.

SATCHER: Nice to...

PHILLIPS: Appreciate your time.

SATCHER: It's great to be with you.

PHILLIPS: We are going to take a quick break. More of our special coverage continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLENN CLOSE, ACTRESS: There are some people where, when they get hit with adversity, there's no alternative but to step up and to go forward. And other people crumble and, you know, give up.

But I -- I got to know Dana, you know, when she got engaged to Chris. And, knowing Chris, he -- he would no more, you know, mate with somebody who was a shrinking violet and, you know, not as remarkable as Dana. So, yes, they just...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, she wanted to be a star, but she set those dreams aside to care for her paralyzed husband, until his death 17 months ago.

Dana Reeve's devotion earned her the admiration of Hollywood and well beyond -- many celebrities remembering her today.

Our Sibila Vargas is in Los Angeles.

Hey, Sibila.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

Well, it's hard to believe that Dana Reeve has passed away so close to her husband's death. But, as you can imagine, this beautiful lady is being remembered for her wonderful spirit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS (voice-over): Dana Reeve was an aspiring actress and singer. She was never a big star, like her husband, Christopher Reeve, who shot to fame as the man of steel in "Superman" in 1978.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "SUPERMAN")

C. REEVE: Easy, miss. I have got you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: Christopher made an impact on the big screen, but it was Dana who made an impact on Hollywood. As the wife and later widow, the 44-year-old daughter of a cardiologist earned the admiration of people around the world with her quiet strength, grace, and commitment, after her husband fell from a horse in 1995 and became paralyzed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D. REEVE: We're going to get through this, like we got through everything else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: The sight of the once athletic Superman in a wheelchair, flanked by his attentive, fresh-faced wife, found a place in the hearts of many, especially as they became outspoken activists for finding a cure for paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries.

After his death, Dana stepped up as chairwoman for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. Less than a year after losing her partner, this wife and mother was diagnosed with lung cancer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D. REEVE: Boy, what a year it has been. It's been a very difficult year for our family. Chris passed away last October. Shortly thereafter, my mother passed away, after surgery from ovarian cancer, quite suddenly and unexpectedly. And, then, I got this diagnosis. Just when you think you're coming out, you know, and you think, OK, it's all right, I see the light at the end of the tunnel, then I got this diagnosis in the summer. And it has been -- you start to wonder. It's a -- it's a rocky road.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: Dana Reeve may not have a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, but she has been a star to many. Her performance during the most difficult times is the essence what movies are made of.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS: And close friends of Dana and Christopher Reeve are mourning this second death.

Actor Robin Williams and his wife, Marsha, remember their dear friend, saying: "The brightest light has gone out. We will forever celebrate her loving spirit."

Hollywood heavyweights Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones also found the bright spot in her death. The couple said they have been devastated by all the losses, but find inspiration by how Dana conducted her life.

And Christopher's co-star Jane Seymour in 1980's "Somewhere in Time" recalls a happy moment when the couple first met. She says: "When Chris called me and told he had found the love of his life, he described Dana as a beautiful woman who sang like an angel. She was his angel. She showed us all the true power of love. Her life made a huge difference to all of us. She was a true inspiration who always brought a smile and her sense of humor to every occasion" -- end quote.

Kyra, I think, if ever there was an example of soul mates, it had to be Christopher and Dana Reeve.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: True love affair.

Thanks, Sibila.

More than one million Americans are diagnosed with cancer every year. And millions more try not to think about it. That changes when a well-known person is a patient. Sometimes, celebrities with cancer go public, hoping they can inspire their fans to take precautions.

When singer Sheryl Crow recently revealed that she had surgery for breast cancer, she urged other women to have regular exams.

After Katie Couric's husband died of colon cancer in 1998, the "Today Show" anchor became a passionate advocate for screening, even undergoing an on-air colonoscopy herself.

Katie Couric talked about colon cancer in a 2000 interview with CNN's Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE," DECEMBER 18, 2000)

KATIE COURIC, CO-HOST, "THE TODAY SHOW": Having experienced what I experienced with this disease, I felt it would be almost criminal not to try to inform the public about this. It's the second leading cancer killer. You know, 56,000 people die of this cancer every year.

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Men and women.

COURIC: Men and women.

And it's so preventable. If people are screened, it has a better than 90 percent cure rate. So, I felt like I had all this information -- I became really an expert in colon cancer, both in the diagnostic area and prevention area and treatment area -- that I wanted to share it with people. I did a public service announcement. And I said, you know, don't end up saying, if only.

And I felt that I could keep families from being in that situation. And I -- I have to say it has been by far the most satisfying and gratifying thing I have ever done.

So, I'm not here to necessarily say everybody needs to go out and get colonoscopy, because I'm not a physician. But I do want to take away the stigma, and take away the embarrassment, and get people to feel comfortable talking with people they love and with their doctors about this disease and what they can do to prevent it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Dealing with cancer -- our special coverage continues.

Dr. Otis Brawley, a cancer specialist at Emory University, joins me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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