As the Plaid Cymru Leadership Contest comes to a conclusion , we are reminded that Steffan Lewis,who many would consider to be a future leader has incurable cancer and the fact that he is likely to have limited time left to spend with his wife Shona and three-year-old son Celyn.
He spoke to WalesOnline about how he coped with his political duties at the same time as being treated for cancer.
Despite this he has proven to be the most articulate AM in the Assembly as he copes with his role as Shadow Minister for External Affairs, Non-Devolved Matters, Police, the Criminal Justice System and Social Protection, but more importantly on Brexit a task which would drain even the healthiest of politicians and puts many of his contemporaries to shame.
The 34-year-old came close to losing his life in February when his liver started failing but was saved by medics at Velindre Hospital in Cardiff, which he has previously described as a "second chance".
However he knows that he would be lucky to live for more than four years.
He said:
“There are a couple of things that have kept me going, and helped divert my attention away from the cancer.“At one point the cancer with me did become almost like a daily obsession.
“It was almost like I was in election mode, where every day was ‘campaign day’.
“So everything became about the cancer – asking about going for a second opinion from a doctor here, can I do further research on treatments that might be available there.
“That was not a healthy situation to be in.
“So having an escape through work has been invaluable and being well enough to participate in these really interesting – albeit very complicated and frankly dangerous – times, has been a big welcome.
“I would say that along with having my family and particularly my son – he brings such joy in really dark times.
“Having work as well and being intellectually stimulated has helped me greatly get through this ordeal.
And even as I now live with the great uncertainty of the cancer – it can come and take me at any point, and that’s something I’ve struggled to come to terms with, but I have to some degree come to terms with that.“It can come at any time and take me – but it hasn’t yet.
“Back in February, when my liver was failing and I was in Velindre Hospital, I was told to write my letters – that my time was up.
“So I’ve got through that and every day after that I see as a bonus.
“So when I can come into work to do my job, or take the boy to the park to play on his bike, I get such joy out of things people might say are ordinary or mundane occurrences.
“I’m very grateful that I’ve been able to continue to contribute.
“It is unpredictable. I’m on a clinical drug trial at the moment. I’m having a break from chemotherapy, which is very welcome indeed, because towards the end it had a cumulative effect on me.
“At the beginning of the chemotherapy process I thought I could deal with it, that it wasn’t too bad, but it’s cumulative over time, and the fatigue got to the stage that I wasn’t able to come into work, I wasn’t able to do day-to-day things.
“So I’m on this clinical drug trial now which, even though it is a little unpredictable, with the main side effect again being fatigue, it gives me more days than not when I’m able to function and get about or work or spend more time with the family.
“That element of unpredictability is still there but it’s far less so than when I was on the chemotherapy.
“So I can pretty much guarantee that I can do four or five hours on a Tuesday and a Wednesday and I can get to my Brexit committee on Mondays as well and do maybe three hours there as well.
That’s what I aim to do as a core in the Senedd. Usually on a Thursday I need to take a bit of time off and rest but then I’m back in the constituency office on a Friday for a couple of hours.
“That’s what I’m aiming for, although I’m very conscious that my oncologist and my wife keep telling me not to push myself too much.
“That worked last week – I take each week as it comes and hopefully I’ll be able to replicate that this week too.”
Discussing the prognosis, he said: “Medium and long term it’s not good.
“It’s bowel cancer that I have but before my diagnosis it had spread extensively to my liver, my lymph nodes and to my lung.
“I responded well to the chemotherapy in terms of the tumours were shrinking and some tumours did disappear.
“But in terms of the current treatments available I’m unlikely to beat the statistics for the long and medium term.
“The average I think is up to five years after diagnosis – and at the moment there’s no reason to believe I’ll be able to do anything beyond and above that.
“So up to four years. But, as I say, it can come at any point.
“There’s no rhyme or reason to this horrible disease.
“But at the same time as being quite a rational person and knowing where I stand there are advances all the time in cancer.
“So I’ve still got to believe that a miracle can happen for me.
“I try not to think too much about the long term. I do try and live week by week, month by month, and make the most of every day.
“It’s really not a cliché – that’s how I operate and that’s working for me.
“And at the back of my mind I’m thinking, who knows, something might happen that means I can defeat it and have even longer than the four or five years that I’m expected to have.
As I say, I defied it once back in February when the odds were really stacked against me, so who knows – I’m young, relatively fit and well apart from the cancer, so if anyone’s got a chance of some level of longevity then hopefully that can be me.”Asked about the advice he’d give to young people diagnosed with cancer, he said: “To talk about it as much as possible, particularly in the initial periods.
“It’s very easy to internalise this.
“I’m very conscious I’m the protagonist but my family, my friends – of course none of them want to lose me.
“They want me to overcome and succeed and defeat this. It has an effect on them emotionally too. I would say externalise it.
“There’s an awful lot of talk about staying positive. Do you know, some days you’re not going to be positive, and that’s fine.
“Be negative, be angry – you’re entitled to if you want to. Be gutted, be low, question it.
“Ask yourself: ‘Why me?’ Allow yourself to go through the emotions because I think ultimately you end up in a place where it becomes easier to come to terms with it: You’ve put yourself through that emotional roller coaster.”
“My boy started pre-school at the beginning of the month. I was quite emotional at that point because there was a time when it didn’t look likely I’d be witnessing it.
“He went to school with his little uniform on, proud as punch at three and a bit years of age.
“So now my aim is to see him start at actual school. If I can get to see him starting in school proper, that will be an important milestone.
“I just want to be able to see as many of the milestones occurring in his life as possible, bearing in mind that I’m unlikely as things stand to see him grow into adulthood.“His talking is coming along really well now so I’m able to have conversations with him.
“It’s important for me that before this cancer takes its course that I have a relationship with him and that we can have a conversation that’s beyond baby talk and toddler talk.“I was really affected by the story of the BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Rachael Bland, who lost her life at 40 recently to breast cancer.
“She talked about how she was keen to write a memoir for her son as quickly as possible because she wouldn’t be around to give him some advice on life and all the rest of it.
“That’s something I’m doing now. I’ve started a memoir for my boy so whatever happens I hope that he’ll be able to get to know me through that memoir.”
There are a couple of things that have kept me going, and helped divert my attention away from the cancer.“At one point the cancer with me did become almost like a daily obsession.
“It was almost like I was in election mode, where every day was ‘campaign day’.
“So everything became about the cancer – asking about going for a second opinion from a doctor here, can I do further research on treatments that might be available there.
“That was not a healthy situation to be in.
“So having an escape through work has been invaluable and being well enough to participate in these really interesting – albeit very complicated and frankly dangerous – times, has been a big welcome.
“I would say that along with having my family and particularly my son – he brings such joy in really dark times.
“Having work as well and being intellectually stimulated has helped me greatly get through this ordeal.
And even as I now live with the great uncertainty of the cancer – it can come and take me at any point, and that’s something I’ve struggled to come to terms with, but I have to some degree come to terms with that.“It can come at any time and take me – but it hasn’t yet.
“Back in February, when my liver was failing and I was in Velindre Hospital, I was told to write my letters – that my time was up.
“So I’ve got through that and every day after that I see as a bonus.
“So when I can come into work to do my job, or take the boy to the park to play on his bike, I get such joy out of things people might say are ordinary or mundane occurrences.
“I’m very grateful that I’ve been able to continue to contribute.
“It is unpredictable. I’m on a clinical drug trial at the moment. I’m having a break from chemotherapy, which is very welcome indeed, because towards the end it had a cumulative effect on me.
“At the beginning of the chemotherapy process I thought I could deal with it, that it wasn’t too bad, but it’s cumulative over time, and the fatigue got to the stage that I wasn’t able to come into work, I wasn’t able to do day-to-day things.
“So I’m on this clinical drug trial now which, even though it is a little unpredictable, with the main side effect again being fatigue, it gives me more days than not when I’m able to function and get about or work or spend more time with the family.
“That element of unpredictability is still there but it’s far less so than when I was on the chemotherapy.
“So I can pretty much guarantee that I can do four or five hours on a Tuesday and a Wednesday and I can get to my Brexit committee on Mondays as well and do maybe three hours there as well.
That’s what I aim to do as a core in the Senedd. Usually on a Thursday I need to take a bit of time off and rest but then I’m back in the constituency office on a Friday for a couple of hours.
“That’s what I’m aiming for, although I’m very conscious that my oncologist and my wife keep telling me not to push myself too much.
“That worked last week – I take each week as it comes and hopefully I’ll be able to replicate that this week too.”
Discussing the prognosis, he said: “Medium and long term it’s not good.
“It’s bowel cancer that I have but before my diagnosis it had spread extensively to my liver, my lymph nodes and to my lung.
“I responded well to the chemotherapy in terms of the tumours were shrinking and some tumours did disappear.
“But in terms of the current treatments available I’m unlikely to beat the statistics for the long and medium term.
“The average I think is up to five years after diagnosis – and at the moment there’s no reason to believe I’ll be able to do anything beyond and above that.
“So up to four years. But, as I say, it can come at any point.
“There’s no rhyme or reason to this horrible disease.
“But at the same time as being quite a rational person and knowing where I stand there are advances all the time in cancer.
“So I’ve still got to believe that a miracle can happen for me.
“I try not to think too much about the long term. I do try and live week by week, month by month, and make the most of every day.
“It’s really not a cliché – that’s how I operate and that’s working for me.
“And at the back of my mind I’m thinking, who knows, something might happen that means I can defeat it and have even longer than the four or five years that I’m expected to have.
As I say, I defied it once back in February when the odds were really stacked against me, so who knows – I’m young, relatively fit and well apart from the cancer, so if anyone’s got a chance of some level of longevity then hopefully that can be me.”Asked about the advice he’d give to young people diagnosed with cancer, he said: “To talk about it as much as possible, particularly in the initial periods.
“It’s very easy to internalise this.
“I’m very conscious I’m the protagonist but my family, my friends – of course none of them want to lose me.
“They want me to overcome and succeed and defeat this. It has an effect on them emotionally too. I would say externalise it.
“There’s an awful lot of talk about staying positive. Do you know, some days you’re not going to be positive, and that’s fine.
“Be negative, be angry – you’re entitled to if you want to. Be gutted, be low, question it.
“Ask yourself: ‘Why me?’ Allow yourself to go through the emotions because I think ultimately you end up in a place where it becomes easier to come to terms with it: You’ve put yourself through that emotional roller coaster.”
“My boy started pre-school at the beginning of the month. I was quite emotional at that point because there was a time when it didn’t look likely I’d be witnessing it.
“He went to school with his little uniform on, proud as punch at three and a bit years of age.
“So now my aim is to see him start at actual school. If I can get to see him starting in school proper, that will be an important milestone.
“I just want to be able to see as many of the milestones occurring in his life as possible, bearing in mind that I’m unlikely as things stand to see him grow into adulthood.“His talking is coming along really well now so I’m able to have conversations with him.
“It’s important for me that before this cancer takes its course that I have a relationship with him and that we can have a conversation that’s beyond baby talk and toddler talk.“I was really affected by the story of the BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Rachael Bland, who lost her life at 40 recently to breast cancer.
“She talked about how she was keen to write a memoir for her son as quickly as possible because she wouldn’t be around to give him some advice on life and all the rest of it.
“That’s something I’m doing now. I’ve started a memoir for my boy so whatever happens I hope that he’ll be able to get to know me through that memoir.”
Whoever wins the Plaid Cymru leadership, there will supporters of the defeated candidates who will be disappointed and even angry.But reading the above should remind them , that they can perhaps have another chance and we know that politicians can make a comeback.To see a young man still battling for his Party and Nation against the odds is both aspiring and a lesson there are much worse than loosing an election.
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