Final Years and Death
In August 2011, Means was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. His doctors told him his condition was inoperable. He told the Associated Press that he was rejecting "mainstream medical treatments in favor of traditional American Indian remedies and alternative treatments away from his home on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation". In late September, Means reported that through tomotherapy, the tumor had diminished greatly. Later he said that his tumor was "95% gone." On December 5 of that year, Means stated that he "beat cancer," that he had beat "the death penalty."
The following year, however, his health continued to decline and he died on October 22, 2012, less than a month before his 73rd birthday. A family statement said, "Our dad and husband now walks among our ancestors."
ABC News said Means "spent a lifetime as a modern American Indian warrior railed against broken treaties, fought for the return of stolen land and even took up arms against the federal government called national attention to the plight of impoverished tribes and often lamented the waning of Indian culture." Among the tributes were calls for "his face have been on Mt. Rushmore." The Times said Means "became as well-known a Native American as Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse."
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