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EDITOR乌鸦传媒橲 NOTE (May 3, 2018): Keven Drews has died after a lengthy battle with cancer.

乌鸦传媒撯赌撯赌�

KEVEN DREWS ANSWERED the phone a little out of breath.

乌鸦传媒淗ey Keven, it乌鸦传媒檚 Beau,乌鸦传媒� I say, trying to sound cheerful in light of the heavy interview that was about to go down. 乌鸦传媒淗ow are you feeling today?乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淯gh,乌鸦传媒� he grunts. 乌鸦传媒淕ood enough to muck around.乌鸦传媒�

Keven was expecting my call.

I hear music playing in the background and if you didn乌鸦传媒檛 know any better, you would get the impression that he was pulled away from mundane household chores, like doing laundry or sweeping out the garage.

Keven was indeed 乌鸦传媒渢idying things up乌鸦传媒� around his Rosemary Heights home on this dreary Thursday morning.

But the kind of tidying up he was doing was anything but mundane.

The 45-year-old former journalist was rounding up all his photos 乌鸦传媒� thousands of them 乌鸦传媒� putting them all in one place so his wife and children will have them when he is gone.

乌鸦传媒淪o I乌鸦传媒檓 busy, but not the kind of busy I want to be,乌鸦传媒� he says, slowly starting to catch his breath.

乌鸦传媒淓ssentially, I乌鸦传媒檓 wrapping my life up.乌鸦传媒�

That is the Keven Drews I know, I think to myself 乌鸦传媒� always doing things to the best of his ability.

Even when preparing to die.

乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒�

IF IT WEREN乌鸦传媒橳 for journalism 乌鸦传媒� and maybe music 乌鸦传媒� Keven Drews and I would likely never have been friends.

In the early 2000s, we were just coming from different places. But we worked together at the now defunct Nanaimo Daily News and we bonded over the many shared experiences and challenges that came with working the night desk. Plus, having a gruff, no-nonsense editor straight out of the whiskey-in-your-desk 乌鸦传媒�60s also gave us plenty to vent about.

Music also connected us. Keven knew tons about music, and I was a budding guitar player. In fact, our friendship was cemented when Keven乌鸦传媒檚 talented wife Yvette 乌鸦传媒� now a Surrey school teacher 乌鸦传媒� joined me at the front of a small martini bar in Nanaimo for a three-song acoustic set.

It was my first time playing guitar in public and I remember Keven pushing us to be the best we could be as we rehearsed those three songs again and again.

Anything worth doing is worth doing right. That was the Keven I knew in Nanaimo 乌鸦传媒� it was his mantra about journalism, music, relationships, and life in general.

Later that year, his life changed forever 乌鸦传媒� and I was with him when it happened.

We were surfing on Long Beach in Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, when Keven suddenly screamed out in pain, clutching at his chest and ribs.

乌鸦传媒淚t was like being stabbed in the back with a blunt knife,乌鸦传媒� he said later.

He went to the emergency room but doctors simply thought it was a slipped disc or he had done something to his back out in the surf.

An MRI in 2003 revealed the unthinkable. He had multiple myeloma 乌鸦传媒� cancer of the plasma cells.

乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒�

CANCER.

The word shocked him.

乌鸦传媒淚t really felt like I was disassociated from my body,乌鸦传媒� Keven says. 乌鸦传媒淚 felt like I was not there, like it was a movie. Just a complete loss of control over yourself. I don乌鸦传媒檛 mean crying, you just get this sense, what just happened? This force has come into my life and I was just numb.乌鸦传媒�

And multiple myeloma?

That type of cancer typically attacks people in their 50s, 60s and 70s.

Regardless, what the disease had in store for Keven was excruciating pain 乌鸦传媒� 14 years of it.

It乌鸦传媒檚 a disease that starts in the marrow and essentially 乌鸦传媒渂reaks and buckles bone from the inside,乌鸦传媒� as he puts it (at one point, his vertebrae actually came apart).

While it乌鸦传媒檚 not clear what causes multiple myeloma, doctors do know that it begins with one abnormal plasma cell in your bone marrow 乌鸦传媒� the soft, blood-producing tissue that fills in the centre of most of your bones. The abnormal cell multiplies uncontrollably and make more abnormal plasma cells, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. This makes it hard for other blood cells in the bone marrow to develop and work normally.

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Since being diagnosed, Keven has undergone a stem cell transplant as well as multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. After multiple relapses, Keven and his family started raising money near the end of 2017 to send him to a clinical trial based in Seattle.

The trial develops what乌鸦传媒檚 called 乌鸦传媒淐AR T乌鸦传媒� cell therapy. Medical staff would remove from his body and then re-engineer in a lab T cells, the immune system乌鸦传媒檚 killer cells, before infusing them back into his blood stream to attack the cancer.

It was his last chance.

乌鸦传媒淭his is it,乌鸦传媒� he in early November. 乌鸦传媒淚f I don乌鸦传媒檛 do it, I die.乌鸦传媒�

But it wasn乌鸦传媒檛 a sure thing. He would have to be accepted 乌鸦传媒� and come up with about $675,000.

No problem. After all, this is Keven Drews we乌鸦传媒檙e talking about, a guy who is using his cancer to teach his two kids a lesson in resilience, about what it means to fight for your life.

乌鸦传媒淗ow fast can I raise this?乌鸦传媒� he said in November. 乌鸦传媒淲e just thought we can乌鸦传媒檛 sit around because of how quickly things move. You gotta fight.乌鸦传媒�

A GoFundMe page was set up and the money started coming in. A Facebook page, YouTube channel and Twitter account were launched. A fundraiser on Vancouver Island was organized.

As the funds started building, so did his family乌鸦传媒檚 hope.

But another storm cloud 乌鸦传媒� perhaps the final one 乌鸦传媒� was on the horizon.

乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淣O CLINICAL TRIAL,乌鸦传媒� read the ominous header on one of Keven乌鸦传媒檚 Facebook posts in early January.

乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 like to lose,乌鸦传媒� he wrote, 乌鸦传媒渁nd I乌鸦传媒檓 losing my battle against multiple myeloma乌鸦传媒攊n a big way. My team of Vancouver-based doctors informed me last week I would not be participating in the clinical trial I had pinned my hopes of survival on.乌鸦传媒�

In a heart-breaking turn of events, Keven乌鸦传媒檚 out-of-whack calcium and creatinine levels were enough to disqualify him.

乌鸦传媒淭hat means there is nothing left, except for some minor medications, to hold the cancer back, and I am running out of time.乌鸦传媒�

Looking back, his voice brims with pride over the phone as he recounts all he has achieved, despite everything life has thrown at him.

乌鸦传媒淚n 2003, it was death or a transplant, those were the options,乌鸦传媒� he says. 乌鸦传媒淎nd in those 14 years, I have accomplished a lot. I have no regrets乌鸦传媒� I didn乌鸦传媒檛 waste any time. I had a business going, I did my Masters in creative writing, I had two kids, a wonderful wife.

乌鸦传媒淭here is a lot more I want to accomplish but it乌鸦传媒檚 not gonna happen,乌鸦传媒� he adds, his voice lowering.

乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 have the time.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒�

KEVEN DREWS has always loved writing 乌鸦传媒� and he乌鸦传媒檚 done a lot of it.

After attending school in Surrey, he graduated from UBC and earned a post-degree certificate in journalism from Langara College.

Over his career, he has worked at newspapers in B.C. and Washington state. Most recently, he worked with Canadian Press.

He even completed an MFA in creative non-fiction at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash. while undergoing chemo.

These days, he has been putting the finishing touches on his latest personal essay he titled, 乌鸦传媒淔ourteen Years of Pain.乌鸦传媒�

He also reads. A lot.

But there乌鸦传媒檚 a problem.

乌鸦传媒淚 keep ordering books, Beau,乌鸦传媒� he says. 乌鸦传媒淚 ordered three books yesterday and I乌鸦传媒檓 wondering if I乌鸦传媒檓 going to get the time to read them.乌鸦传媒�

That乌鸦传媒檚 why every day Keven spends with his wife and two boys is immeasurable.

乌鸦传媒淵our family is the most important thing in the world,乌鸦传媒� he says. 乌鸦传媒淢y family is here for me right now. And they will be there for me when I meet the end.乌鸦传媒�

By now, you may be wondering 乌鸦传媒� as I was 乌鸦传媒� how does Keven keep it all together? After all, Keven has seen people in his situation simply give up and die when their will was gone.

What is it that gives him such strength?

乌鸦传媒淚 seem to have this internal drive that you have probably seen in my life, going back to Nanaimo, that just pushes me continually forward,乌鸦传媒� he says.

乌鸦传媒淚 just cannot get away from that. It乌鸦传媒檚 this weird feeling, that I want to experience more, and I乌鸦传媒檓 not talking about money.

乌鸦传媒淚 seem to have this drive that makes me want to gain more experiences in life.乌鸦传媒�

He also watches movies 乌鸦传媒� comedies, of course.

乌鸦传媒淵ou have to,乌鸦传媒� he says. 乌鸦传媒淭his is as much a psychological battle as it is a physical battle.乌鸦传媒�

Finally, Keven shares some advice for people whose lives are being rocked by cancer.

乌鸦传媒淵ou can乌鸦传媒檛 quit,乌鸦传媒� he says. 乌鸦传媒淒on乌鸦传媒檛 waste any seconds. Just because you get that diagnosis doesn乌鸦传媒檛 mean you乌鸦传媒檙e dead.乌鸦传媒�

We end our interview by making plans for coffee 乌鸦传媒� it turns out their new place is just up the road from the Now-Leader office.

But we had better do it quickly, he adds in an ominous tone.

I start saying my goodbyes with a heavy soul.

But somehow, I also feel uplifted. Maybe it is because Keven reminded me of the importance of family 乌鸦传媒� and just how minute some of our day-to-day problems really are in the grand scheme of things.

I also feel inspired, knowing that his story is sure to encourage thousands of people, whether they乌鸦传媒檝e just begun their battle with cancer or are near their journey乌鸦传媒檚 end.

Before I hang up, I thank Keven for his honesty and tell him I admire his strength of character.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a scary thing,乌鸦传媒� he says. 乌鸦传媒淵ou can quit or you can go on. And I didn乌鸦传媒檛 quit.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淎nd you乌鸦传媒檙e going on,乌鸦传媒� I say as I reach for the big red 乌鸦传媒榮top乌鸦传媒� button on my voice recorder.

乌鸦传媒淵eah,乌鸦传媒� he replies.

乌鸦传媒淲ell, as far as I can, right?乌鸦传媒�

beau.simpson@surreynowleader.com
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