( CNN ) -- `` The Simpsons '' co-creator Sam Simon is facing terminal illness the best way he knows how : with a sense of humor and a generous heart . It was two years ago that Simon , 59 , was told that he had colon cancer and had just three to six months to live . `` They showed me my scans and said , these are the scans of a dead man , '' Simon recalled in an interview with NBC 's Maria Shriver . `` I said , 'Is it curable ? ' And the doctor goes , 'We do n't use that word . ' `` Though his doctor could n't cure him , he could work to keep Simon alive . `` And he 's done a remarkable job of it , '' Simon said . `` I feel great . I 've never been happier . '' Some of that happiness comes from being `` surrounded by people that love me and take care of me and would do anything for me , '' Simon said . `` That 's called happiness . '' But part of his peace comes from his philanthropy . When Simon learned of his diagnosis , he made a promise to give away his fortune . He never did say how much he 's made over his many years in Hollywood , working on `` The Simpsons '' in addition to hits like `` Taxi '' and `` Cheers . '' But what is clear is that however much he has , he wants it to go toward animal welfare and to feed the hungry . `` Ingrid Newkirk , who is the founder of PETA and one of the most influential people in my life ... she came up with an almost therapy for me , where we planned and are still planning a series of animal liberations and actions that I get to participate in and enjoy and have something to look forward to at the same time , '' Simon said . There 's also his philanthropic organization , the Sam Simon Foundation , which aids animals and has a `` feeding families program that feeds 400 families a day in Los Angeles . '' His passion for these causes comes from a responsibility he feels , Simon explained , `` to speak for those who ca n't speak for themselves . '' Simon was honest about how difficult his diagnosis has been -- `` cancer is a horrible disease , ( and ) I am struggling with it , '' he told Shriver -- but he added that it 's also been a lesson . `` It has been a fight ; it 's been an adventure ; it 's been an education , '' Simon said . `` It 's been the most amazing experience of my life . ''
`` The Simpsons '' co-creator was told he had three to six months to live . In the episode titled " Bart Gets an F", a man named Homer Simpson is diagnosed with cancer and decides that his only hope of survival lies in having as many children as possible before dying. Simon : Cancer has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life .