Steve and Bute’s priceless trip down memory lane

‘She is the best wife you could ask for’

Steve met Bute when he was on holiday in Thailand with a friend, visiting Korat in the rural north east of the country, where her parents and family still live. When Steve came home to Plymouth they stayed in touch by text until he was able to return a year later, and their relationship blossomed from there. Since marrying in 2000, with ceremonies in both Thailand and England, the couple have spent time living in both the countries they now regard as home.

Steve first became ill in November 2019 and was diagnosed with cancer of the tonsils. After six weeks of chemotherapy and another six weeks of radiotherapy, he was 100 per cent cancer-free.

But four months later the disease had returned and spread. Steve underwent a major operation involving facial reconstruction at Derriford Hospital, coinciding with the first Covid lockdown. Recovery took about three months, but Steve was left weak, unable to eat solid foods or to lie down comfortably. Bute was right by his side throughout.

“She is the best wife you could ask for,” he said. “I had to sleep on the sofa sitting up and she slept on the floor beside me, she washed me, she shaved me.

“When I recovered, I felt like a new man and to celebrate I renovated our old 1992 Mini Cooper. Doing it up made me feel better, like I had beaten this cancer. The first time I took it to a classic car show, it won first prize in its category. I cried when I picked up the trophy, knowing what I had been through to get there.”

After four years of feeling well, enjoying life with Bute, and having regular check-ups, Steve called his surgeon last November to say he felt something wasn’t right. Tests showed the disease had returned, and in February he was told his illness was terminal. Steve’s breathing became difficult, and his only option was a permanent tracheostomy, taking away his ability to speak, or to eat or drink normally.

“To be honest, I just wanted to go at that point. But in comes my wife and tells me ‘I still love you and I will care for you’, and that made me happy,” added Steve, who now writes down what he wants to say.

He had been aiming to enter his vibrant orange pride and joy to the Cornish Mini Club Riviera Run show at Pentewan Sands in May, but he too poorly to go. He asked a friend to drive it there for him. The medal it won for second place now hangs proudly in Steve and Bute’s living room.