1976: Cancer Strikes the Family Again

Mike’s father Bernard is told the malignant melanoma he had been diagnosed with two years earlier is terminal. The doctors say nothing can be done, but Mike refuses to accept that prognosis. He takes his father to leading melanoma experts at hospitals around the country, frantically looking for a solution.

Finally, painfully, Mike comes to the conclusion that the science is simply not there to help his dad. Mike recalls his mother, Ferne, setting him straight:

“Michael, I want to save your father as much as you do. But let me tell you the definition of a real problem. It’s something that can’t be solved with money. And I believe the doctors when they say this problem can’t be solved … period. So let’s accept what’s going to happen and make the most of the time he has left.”

Mike agrees. He and Lori begin planning to move their family back to Los Angeles from New York so their kids can spend more time with their grandfather.

Photo: Mike Milken with his father, Bernard, and sons Lance (left) and Gregory (right).