The following statement was released April 23rd on RogerEbert.com, it appears Roger is anxious to get back to C-U!
My Ninth Annual Film Festival opens Wednesday night at the University of
Illinois at Urbana, and Chaz and I will be in attendance. This year I
won’t be speaking, however, as I await another surgery. I have received
a lot of advice that I should not attend the Festival. I’m told that
paparazzi will take unflattering pictures, people will be unkind, etc.
Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. As a journalist I can take it as
well as dish it out.
So let’s talk turkey. What will I look like? To paraphrase a line from
“Raging Bull,” I ain’t a pretty boy no more. (Not that I ever was. The
original appeal of Siskel & Ebert was that we didn’t look like we
belonged on TV.)
What happened was, cancer of the salivary gland spread to my right lower
jaw. A segment of the mandible was removed. Two operations to replace
the missing segment were unsuccessful, both leading to unanticipated
bleeding.
A tracheostomy was necessary so, for the time being, I cannot speak. I
make do with written notes and a lot of hand waving and eye-rolling.
The doctors now plan an approach that does not involve the risk of
unplanned bleeding. If all goes well, my speech will be restored.
So when I turn up in Urbana, I will be wearing a gauze bandage around my
neck, and my mouth will be seen to droop. So it goes.
I was told photos of me in this condition would attract the gossip
papers. So what? I have been very sick, am getting better and this is
how it looks. I still have my brain and my typing fingers.
Although months in bed after the bleeding episodes caused a lack of
strength and co-ordination, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
restored my ability to walk on my own, climb stairs, etc. I no longer
use a walker much and the wheelchair is more for occasional speed and
comfort than need. Just today we went for a long stroll in Lincoln
Park.
We spend too much time hiding illness. There is an assumption that I
must always look the same. I hope to look better than I look now. But
I’m not going to miss my Festival.
Why do I want to go? Above all, to see the movies. Then to meet old
friends and great directors and personally thank all the loyal audience
members who continue to support the Festival. At least, not being able
to speak, I am spared the need to explain why every film is
“overlooked,” or why I wrote “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.”
Being sick is no fun. But you can have fun while you’re sick. I
wouldn’t miss the Festival for anything!
P.S. To Gossip Rags: I have some back pain, and to make it easier for
me to sit through screenings, the Festival has installed my very own
La-Z-Boy chair. Photos of me in the chair should be captioned,
“La-Z-Critic.”