Brave cancer sufferer Steve is a Covid hero
A SELFLESS Cornish father who dedicated what he feared were to be his final months to helping others has been nominated as a Covid hero – just as he appears to have been given fresh hope.
Earlier this year, Steve Edwards, 41, was told that 90% of his liver was riddled with cancer and that he had two large tumours in his bowel. He was given just months to live – until October this year, his 41st birthday.
The brave dad, originally from St Austell but now living in Redruth, decided he was going to make what little time he had left truly count and embarked on a selfless mission to raise thousands for the NHS – which resulted in a grand total of £7,113.
Steve, who is father to three daughters – Chantelle, 21, Lesha, 20, and Aleana, 15, and is also stepfather to Mya, 15, Callum, 13, and Whitney, 12 – got the news the cancer had spread to his liver and was incurable.
However, by the time he took part in a charity bike ride three months later, he says his cancer had decreased by around 50% across his whole body, and an MRI scan eight weeks ago showed that just 10% of his liver was now affected and showed signs of his bowel tumours shrinking.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” he said. “I have a full body MRI this week and should have the results on Friday. “I’m not stopping here,” he continued. “I want to continue with the charity work I started, the bike ride is setup for next year, and I’ve got Decembeard coming up to raise money for Bowel Cancer UK.
“Something like this just makes you want to live every day like you should, like every day counts, and, if it wasn’t for everybody around me, then I wouldn’t be able to do that.”
The Western Morning News’ sister website in Cornwall, CornwallLive, is looking for nominations for the title of Covid hero – and Steve definitely fits the bill.
To nominate your hero who has gone above and beyond during the crisis, go to the CornwallLive website. To support Steve’s fund-raising, log on to the Gofundme.com website and search for Steve Edwards the Real NHS Hero.