Son’s cancer changes it all

In the final of the Upper Hutt Leader series on our city councillors,

talks to a man about how a serious illness in his family changed his life. ‘‘There’s a lot of uncertainty ahead.’’

For Steve Taylor, Upper Hutt’s youngest and based on last year’s election most popular councillor, life has changed big time.

The father of three boys is now a former double bass player with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

He resigned more than a year ago to devote time to the care of his children, especially his oldest Cyrus who is into his fourth year battling cancer.

‘‘I was the youngest [at 19] to join the orchestra and I’m the youngest to retire,’’ Taylor said, nodding to his bass sitting in a corner of the lounge of his Trentham home.

‘‘I’ve not played since I retired,’’ Taylor, a councillor since 2013, said.

Life today is spent on much more important stuff for the Stokes Valley born and bred 35 year old.

He recalls how Cyrus’s symptoms were becoming apparent in his ‘‘fresh’’ days as a city councillor.

‘‘There were lots of issues with his behaviour, things were getting worse. It was all easy to figure out in hindsight, of course.’’

Cyrus was diagnosed with an inoperable tumour at the top of his brain stem, blocking his spinal fluid flow.

He was immediately flown to Auckland’s Starship Hospital for surgery to release pressure in his head .

A recovering Cyrus, who turned 11 on May 2, then had to learn to balance, to walk, to catch a a ball, to again write properly.

More operations and a myriad of medical procedures followed, including weeks in Christchurch at the start of 18 months of chemotherapy treatment which recently finished.

Cyrus is now an intermediate student at Fergusson and doing well.

‘‘But there’s a lot of uncertainty ahead,’’ Taylor said.

‘‘We have an MRI soon and it’s there we will find the results [of the treatment] and find out our future.’’

For Taylor, and his wife Rasha who runs a Main St business, the decision to leave his profession was the right one.

With Cyrus, Malachi , 9, and Orion, 21 months, in his care he is one busy - and grateful - dad.

‘‘I love it. Yes, it’s been difficult and very stressful but I’ve got to spend heaps of quality time with my kids.’’