“It weakens the body”— Edward James Olmos opens up about the impact of chemo treatment following throat cancer diagnosis

Miami Vice star Edward James Olmos recently opened up about his battle with throat cancer and difficult experiences with chemotherapy. In an interview with Daily Mail published on Monday, May 13, the veteran actor revealed that at certain times during his treatment he did not feel like he was going to see the next day.

The actor who had his throat shot up with radiation and chemo, last took treatment on December 20, 2022, but it was the immediate months that followed when the treatment was stopped, that were the hardest to endure. However, the actor managed to pull through and started getting healthier once a hundred days had passed. He told the publication:

"'It's the treatment usually that kills you, because what ends up happening, it weakens the body because of the chemotherapy, takes out all your white blood cells."

Edward James Olmos underwent a very painful cancer treatment (Image via YouTube/Hubwav)

---

Edward James Olmos described his painful throat cancer treatment procedure

Veteran actor Edward James Olmos revealed back in May of 2023 that he had throat cancer during an appearance on the Mando & Friends podcast. His doctors described his ailment as "a very strong disease" and Olmos had to go through radiation and chemo being shot into his throat.

The actor revealed that the doctors told him they didn't know what he might sound like after the treatment. The actor stated in the podcast, quoting his doctors:

"We’re shooting your vocal cords, we’re shooting your throat; where you eat, where you swallow, where you talk, breathe, everything goes through here"

During an interview with Daily Mail conducted back in April during the 17th Annual George Lopez Celebrity Golf Classic, Edward James Olmos noted that his treatment had ended on December 20, 2022, but the worst was yet to come. He described the following two to three months as the "hardest of the entire journey". The actor told the publication:

"Once they stopped all of the chemo, all the radiation and all the treatment, was when the body gave up… And that's when it really became difficult."

The actor had to take in nutrients through an IV drip and his lymph nodes and throat were "burned out" after the treatment. His throat area was "completely annihilated". The 77-year-old recalled not knowing whether he would wake up to see the next morning as he wasn't able to do anything including eat, swallow, drink, or even talk.

However, despite the hardships the actor managed to pull through. He stated:

"But past that, into 90 days, a hundred days, I was in much better shape. And today I feel very strong and I do a lot of physical exercise."

As mentioned above, the actor revealed that it was the treatment that usually leds to death. This happens due to the body being weakened by chemotherapy due to it killing the white blood cells, leaving the patient without an immune system. Edward James Olmos noted:

"If I had bad kidneys, bad heart, bad lungs, bad anything, I wouldn't be here right now."

The actor thanked God that his body was okay and revealed that his treatment helped him develop a new outlook on life. He said:

"There's no other way. You definitely have a new lease on life, so you definitely reevaluate everything. So I am very grateful."

Edward James Olmos pointed out that the key to life was to understand the "basic fundamentals" of life. This included the way one ate, exercised, and slept. The Stand and Deliver star was also "very grateful" that he is now able to continue working in films, plays, television, and theatre.