Chapter Forty-Nine: Ed Bradley

You never watched the program a second time, did you, Pops?

No, but I have it on tape. Several people gave me tapes of the 60 Minutes show. April 2002, Desperately Fighting Cancer. You know I can Google Taylor Black 60 Minutes, Brain Cancer and you come right up.

I guess the program will always be there. Ed Bradley sent you an email, didn’t he, Pops? Just a short little email that you keep in the desk drawer with copies of my journals. Courtney has the originals of my journals.

Courtney is the historian now; she has an M.A. in history.

You never were a big fan of televising everything.

No, but I thought the attention would get you the best care. It was surreal to watch you on the program after you had passed on. You talked so calmly about death. I thought you were humble and Dr. Henry Friedman arrogant. You looked radiant.

Type out the transcript excerpts, Pops. I’ll wait.

60 Minutes: April 7, 2002

Ed Bradley (voiceover): Taylor Black, a seventeen-year-old high school senior from Florida has a rare and fast growing brain tumor which was diagnosed a year and a half ago after she collapsed in the shower.

Taylor: When I got the results that I had a brain tumor and everything it just didn’t seem real, because you see the—you think you’re invincible when you’re this young. You’re like “what could happen to me? What could possibly happen to me?” But it is happening to me, so I have to deal with it.

There was a good deal of footage of Taylor with the family, especially her mom, and with Henry Friedman, and Bradley did a voiceover.

Bradley (voiceover): We first met Taylor Black 15 months ago. She had just started being treated by Henry Friedman after leaving her original oncologist who told her that the cancer was too far advanced and that nothing could be done to save her. When she was diagnosed, she was told by her doctors that she had only six months to live.

I certainly don’t remember that discussion with any of Taylor’s doctors. And the 15 months was closer to 14 months, but, what the heck, it was broadcast journalism so perhaps it was close enough. Dr. Henry Friedman then gave a voiceover.

Friedman: Surprise, she’s still here. And we’re going to try to make that continue because the goal is not just a few months. The goal is to cure her which is still very possible.

Taylor: He is the ideal doctor for me. He’s got a lot of hope.

(Footage of Henry Friedman with the Black family, Taylor undergoing radiation treatment at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida)

Bradley (voiceover): But Dr. Friedman’s 2,000 patients don’t need proof, especially the ones who are sicker than Taylor Black. Her type of cancer cannot be treated with monoclonal antibody therapy, so instead she has had two brain surgeries and undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy with two different drugs. While the treatments seem to be slowing the growth of the tumor, Dr. Friedman added another weapon last April in hopes of destroying her cancer: high beam radiation of Taylor’s brain and spine. It has caused her to lose her hair.

Actually she lost her hair with the first rounds of chemotherapy.

Taylor (voiceover): I had long hair, and then it just started falling out in big clumps.

(Footage of Taylor putting on a wig).

Bradley (voiceover): The ordeal has been intense and painful. Some people say that you (Speaking on camera to Taylor) you have to go to hell first.

Taylor: Pretty much.

Bradley: So you never reached a point where you said, “I just can’t take this anymore?”

Taylor: Oh yeah, I did. I just wanted to scream and cry, but I have to take it. You know. I just have to get through it.

Bradley: You must have thought about the possibility that you won’t beat it.

Taylor: Yeah, I have thought about that, definitely. I—it’s a very real possibility but everybody’s got to die someday, and if I have to die, I have to die. I mean, I’ve come to grips with my own mortality now. Nobody lives forever. If go a little bit earlier than I was—thought I was going to go then I do, but at least make every day count.

Bradley: You’re amazing.

Taylor (smiling): Thank you.

The program, watched by over twenty million people, would go on to detail one last attempt by Dr. Friedman to save Taylor and then, Ed Bradley came on with the final words about my daughter.

Taylor Black went home and two weeks later she died.

* * *

They got a few things wrong, Taylor.

Yes, but they got the story right. I mean that’s what the whole thing was about after all.

Ed Bradley’s email the next day said, “I was touched by Taylor’s strength, maturity and openness. She was truly amazing. I can’t tell you how many people have stopped me today to talk about her.”

Maybe I did some good in the end, Pops.

Maybe you did, Taylor, maybe you did.