Farrah Fawcett fights for her privacy as well as her life
Celebrities are used to life in the public eye, but sometimes even those who are used to the constant shutterbugs need their privacy.
Such is the case for Farrah Fawcett. The sixty-two year old actress has had a long and public struggle with cancer, with tabloid reports trying to keep tabs on every development of her disease and any other health issues that that former “Charlie’s Angels” star may have experienced. Every routine checkup Fawcett went to resulted in outlandish rumors.
Yet, despite the over the top nature of the rumors, Fawcett noticed the shred of truth they were based on, leading the actress to believe that there was a leak somewhere inside of her treatment facility, and not amongst her friends and family.
To prove her suspicions, Fawcett decided to take matters into her own hands, for the sake of her own privacy. When she was informed in 2007 that her cancer had returned, Fawcett made the difficult choice to keep that information to herself, not even telling her friends and family about the setback. This put the onus on the UCLA Medical Center, where Fawcett had received treatment, to hold to its ethical standards and maintain its patients’ rights.
When the story hit the tabloids a few days later, Fawcett had all the proof she needed to begin considering legal options. The hospital did discover the source of the leak, and the suspected employee quit and was then charged with felony counts of violating federal medical privacy laws.
