Paul Dewar, battling cancer, ‘doing well’
Former MP Paul Dewar said in public Friday evening what he has expressed on social media, that he is overwhelmed by the support he has received during his cancer treatment.
“I’m doing well, very well,” said Dewar, speaking to reporters outside the Southminster United Church in the Glebe, where he was a guest speaker at the Ottawa Grassroots Festival.
“It’s like everyone who has been through cancer,” said Dewar, accompanied by his wife, Julia Sneyd. “It’s a journey. Just overwhelmed by the support of people — it’s Ottawa, right?”
Dewar first announced in a February Facebook post that he had brain cancer.
He’d been experiencing some numbness in his arm, and went to the Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital on Feb. 5. X-rays were taken, as well as a CT scan, which revealed a cyst on the right side of his brain. A subsequent MRI revealed a tumour.
On Feb. 14, Dewar underwent surgery to have the tumour removed. He declined to say what type of brain cancer he had.
“While this cancer is devastating news, I am going to pursue the next phase of my treatment with determination, passion and an appreciation for life,” Dewar said at the time.
In his post, the 55-year-old Dewar asked for privacy while he focused on his treatment.
On Friday, speaking for the first time publicly about his cancer, Dewar was vague about his prognosis and his future plans.
“I continue to be in treatment and am hopeful that we can take this journey further, getting support, which we already have had, from all the excellent people here in Ottawa at the cancer care centre.
“I’m feeling great — and sporting a new beard, which fits in for (the festival),” Dewar quipped.
Only a month before the cancer diagnosis, Dewar had said publicly he was strongly considering running for mayor against incumbent Jim Watson. A passionate runner, Dewar said he pondered contesting the mayoralty race as he went for long runs along the Rideau Canal. Dewar is the son of longtime Ottawa mayor Marion Dewar.
“I’ve thought about it but I haven’t made any decisions at all,” Dewar, a former Ottawa Centre MP for the NDP, said at the time.
“A lot of people keep asking me ... they’re seeing things not being run well and thinking we can do better. I don’t disagree with that.”
Asked Friday about his future plans and what is grabbing his attention at the moment, Dewar said: “Tonight, music.”
And with that he stepped inside the church to hear Sneezy Waters and other musical acts.