Throughout my life, even when I had very little to show for it, I believed myself to possess personal power: the power of the love of my parents, the power of having had the right kinds of teachers and coaches, the power of friends and faith, the power of believing that no matter what the situation; this guy Robert Urich could deal with it. Never in my mind was there a doubt that someday I would do something significant - not just in the way of professional accomplishment, but in a way that meant something to other people.

As an actor, I had always played heroic guys capable of going the distance, tough guys with compassion. At the top of every movie script you ever get, as soon as your character is introduced, there is a brief character description. Of my character in Spenser: For Hire, it said, "He is capable of going the distance whatever the distance might be. He is handsome." These were my roles - guys who had what it took - and I certainly thought of myself as a guy in control.

Lying in that hospital bed, I was stripped of that. A loss of control is terrifying. The anchor line has been severed and you are at the mercy of the raging gales and the angry seas. You can't be talking about me. I've got cameras and dolly tracks and horses and wranglers and stunt men and assistant directors calling me. There are scripts arriving for my notes. You can't be talking about me. I'm Dan Tanna. I'm Spenser. I'm The Lazarus Man.

No. I'm Robert Urich. I've got cancer.

Please note: Robert Urich and his wife, Heather, established the Robert Urich Fund for Sarcoma Research. You can read more about this fund.