From Patti Yasutake’s death from cancer to Olympic water polo player’s husband’s rare cancer diagnosis, here’s what’s happening in the oncology space this week.
Patti Yasutake, known for her roles as Nurse Alyssa Ogawa from the “Star Trek” franchise and Fumi Nakai in Netflix’s “Beef,” died at the age of 70 from cancer. Her cancer type was not disclosed.
“Patti was not only a client but a ‘chosen family member,’” Yasutake’s manager, Kyle Fritz, told PEOPLE. “She was the very first actress I ever signed and a friendship of over 30 years ensued. It was an honor to know her, work with her and love her.”
Fritz noted that she was surrounded by family and friends before she died.
An Olympic water polo player revealed that her husband received a diagnosis of a rare lung cancer, in a personal essay.
Maddie Musselman, a water polo player on the U.S. team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, shared the news of her husband’s cancer diagnosis in a personal essay.
She wrote that her husband, Pat, received a diagnosis of a rare stage 4 lung cancer at the age of 30 and had been undergoing treatment through this year.
“I’m personally going through this with him, but my team has been going through it, too — both as teammates and as friends,” she wrote. “My teammates have said that if Pat’s fighting cancer, they can swim another lap, or work even a little harder.
“When they make comments like that, it makes it worth it — being here.”
Logan O’Hoppe, a catcher for the Los Angeles Angels baseball team, and his family celebrated his dad’s two years of being cancer-free.
His dad received a diagnosis of stage 4 anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in August 2021. After a stem cell transplant, he has been in remission since 2022.
At a recent game at the Yankee Stadium, O’Hoppe and his family wore special “O’Hoppe 14” shirts to help raise money and awareness for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
“It’s a blessing,” O’Hoppe’s dad told MLB. “Not too long ago, I didn’t know if I’d be here or not. So to have my friends and family and the doctor who saved my life and his staff here, it means everything. I’m just beyond blessed and grateful.”
Edward James Olmos, a star in the recent film, “One Fast Move,” is doing well after being cancer-free for two years.
The 77-year-old actor explained to PEOPLE that he recently received a scan after having throat cancer, in which his doctor told him he’s “doing very, very well.”
“Right now I’m a year and about six months, seven months [into it],” he said to PEOPLE. “Yesterday was a very big day when they took the test, the PET scan.”
A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that helps assess signs of cancer and cancer treatment, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
"I'm just looking forward to spending more time with my family," Olmos said. "I've done that anyway, but that's what ends up happening. You end up having time for your family, having a good understanding of your life."
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