Melissa Gilbert recently paid tribute to actors Michael Landon and Patrick Swayze as part of an effort to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer, which claimed both of their lives. Gilbert, who had a close relationship with Landon from her time on Little House on the Prairie, spoke about the devastating impact of the disease.

Landon died in 1991 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer, while Gilbert’s longtime friend Swayze, known for his role in Dirty Dancing, fought the disease for 20 months before his death in 2009.

“This is the thing that killed two of the strongest, most extraordinarily extraordinary physical specimens of men I’d ever known in my life,” Gilbert tells People. “Athletic, talented, I mean, you name it. To me, these guys were pillars, almost like superheroes. And to see something like that take them the way it did…And it’s not just the person going through it. I’m watching a whole family suffer along with both of these men as they are suffering in a way that is indescribable.”

In her advocacy, Gilbert emphasized the need for greater research and early detection of pancreatic cancer, which is often diagnosed too late due to its subtle symptoms. Her involvement honors both actors and aims to bring more attention to the disease, hoping to prevent other families from experiencing similar losses.

Gilbert has launched a new lifestyle brand called Modern Prairie, teaming with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to raise funds and awareness with a new collection. All proceeds from the collection will go to support the charity.

“My work with PanCAN is a passion of mine and important to me because of the people I’ve lost — whom I’ve known and loved — to pancreatic cancer,” she states.

Just recently, Gilbert made news for her struggles with misophonia while on the Little House on the Prairie set.

Years later, Gilbert learned she actually had a neurological disorder called misophonia and discovered she wasn’t just “mean.”

According to Cleveland Clinic, misophonia is a disorder characterized by a decreased tolerance to specific sounds.

“I really just thought that I was rude. And I felt really bad. And guilty, which is an enormous component of misophonia, the guilt that you feel for these feelings of fight or flight. It’s a really isolating disorder,” said the former child star.

The actress said that even though she knew her condition had a name, it wasn’t until last year that she learned there was a treatment.

She continues to use her platform to encourage people and raise money for important causes.

Nicole Taylor is part of Taste of Country Mornings With Wood and Nicole, which can be heard every morning LIVE on TasteofCountry.com and on the Taste of Country app from 6-10AM CT. Based in Nashville, the two hosts talk with country artists and go deep into the latest in the world of country music every weekday.

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