A visibly tired Mark Warawa said his appearance at the May Day parade in Fort Langley would likely be his last.
“I’m pretty weak,” the Langley-Aldergrove M.P. told the Langley Advance Times as he was getting ready to ride as a passenger near the front of the annual parade on Monday, May 20.
“This is my last parade,” he said.
“I so love Langley,and the people of Langley, so I want to be here and thank them,” Warawa said.
On April 14, Warawa announced he was in hospital and facing possible pancreatic cancer.
He spent 15 days in hospital, with the exception of a brief outing on Easter Sunday to attend church services and visit his family.
He later revealed in a Facebook post that doctors also found cancer in his lungs, lymph nodes and colon.
On Wednesday, May 22, he was scheduled to undergo surgery for colon cancer, followed by radiation for a tumour at the base of his neck.
“After I recover from that, after a few weeks in, I’ll be starting chemo,” Warawa said.
He said he’s been told the treatment won’t eliminate his cancer.
“It’s not curing the cancer but holding it at bay, so that’s our hope and prayer,” Warawa said.
“The prognosis is, I could be around for a number of years, if the chemo is effective.”
His short walk from his car to the vehicle he was riding was interrupted several times by well-wishers who told him they were praying for him.
READ MORE: Mark Warawa says he also has cancer in his lungs and lymphatic system
Ahead of retiring from politics, Warawa announced his plans to become a chaplain for end of life care.
He said his experience has motivated him further to pursue that calling.
An MP for the Langley and then the Langley-Aldergrove federal riding since 2004, Warawa was an Abbotsford city councillor for 14 years before he entered federal politics.
He most recently was serving as a shadow cabinet secretary for seniors in the Conservative opposition ranks.
He put forward private member’s bills several times, including the Safe At Home Bill, which was passed in 2014.
The bill required courts to consider banning sex offenders from living within two kilometres of their victims’ homes.
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Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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