Diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in 1986, Smith was told he had
only months to live. With encouragement from his partner and nonfiction
collaborator, Steven Naifeh, and friend Charles Grodin, he consulted specialists
until he found one willing to attempt a risky experimental treatment.
Smith wound up with side effects: a numb side of his face, a deaf ear,
and a slight speech impediment, but he survived.
