The Wanted’s Siva Kaneswaran said his late bandmate Tom Parker, 33, left an incredible legacy spreading awareness about cancer and finding treatments in the 18 months he was battling the disease.
Tom tragically passed away last March following a brave battle with brain cancer, after being diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020.
Now, Siva, 36, has told the Daily Mail that after Tom died he felt that he needed to carry on his legacy.
Siva, who has teamed up with GenesisCare [a specialist private cancer centre], said: ‘A part of Tom’s legacy was raising awareness and investing in new treatments in the UK and having the government invest.
‘And when he passed, I felt like his story and his message needed to carry forward with getting treatments to people who have glioblastoma and brain cancer.’
The Wanted’s Siva Kaneswaran said his late Tom Parker, 33, left an incredible legacy spreading awareness about cancer and finding treatments in the 18 months he was battling the disease
Tom tragically passed away last March following a brave battle with brain cancer, after being diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020 (pictured in 2021)
He went on to reveal he thought Tom would have probably ‘cured cancer’ with his legacy and all his work with cancer charities if he had lived just two more months.
Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive and malignant brain tumour and remains one of the most challenging cancers to treat; it is currently incurable.Â
Siva said: ‘I feel like if Tom were alive two more months, he would have cured cancer altogether, because he did so much in 18 months from treatments that helped extend his lifestyle.’
Tom and Max George, who together have formed new group The Wanted 2.0, have worked tirelessly to keep Tom’s dedication and hard work going as they use their interntaional tours to speak about his work.
‘Max and I are on the road here in America, and we’re talking about Tom constantly’, he added.
‘And even on stage, we talk about stories and share memories, and I think it’s super important to keep Tom’s memory alive and support raising awareness for what he stood for and what his legacy was.’
New research by GenesisCare has revealed that memory loss and losing the ability to make new memories with loved ones are a patient’s biggest fear when they receive a glioblastoma diagnosis.
Max revealed that Tom also struggled with memory loss during his battle against the disease and would say some of the ‘most profound things’ during interviews and not remember why or what he said.
Now, Siva, 36, has told the Daily Mail that the thought he had in his head after he died was that he needed to carry on his legacy
Siva said: ‘Memory loss is a major thing that people with glioblastoma and brain cancer have. We would do radio interviews, and Tom would say the most profound things on Heart Radio or Capital Radio and all these stations.
‘And I’d say, Tom, ”where did that come from?” And he’d say, ‘’what was I talking about?’’
‘He always lived in the present moment, and we are lucky that we have videos to record all these memories with him, and the fans get to see all these videos of us online.’
Siva’s memories of Tom’s positivity will feature in a new GenesisCare art installation called Memory Bank, which raises awareness of the importance of making every moment count following a glioblastoma diagnosis.
The visual part of the artwork is an abstract painting of a functional MRI; an innovative tool that maps out essential brain functions such as speech and language, movement, memory and vision, empowering surgeons to protect the healthy cell tissue during surgery.
However, hidden beneath the surface and only visible under ultraviolet light are messages of hope and positivity from glioblastoma patients, who celebrate the ‘pink drink’ treatment that makes the tumour glow pink during surgery versus the healthy brown tissue.
Siva also opened up on ‘painful’ touring as he confessed young performers don’t have support systems and they live in ‘Groundhog Day’ where ‘health issues build up quickly’.
He told Daily Mail: ‘Being on tour can be very difficult as a young performer, and you do not have the support systems you usually have.
Siva told the Daily Mail: I just felt like his story and his message needed to carry forward with getting treatments to people like him who had glioblastoma and brain cancer’
He went on to reveal he thought Tom would have ‘cured cancer’ with his legacy and all his work with cancer charities if he had lived just two more months
Siva’s memories of Tom’s positivity will feature in a new GenesisCare art installation called Memory Bank (pictured)
‘I was just saying to my close friend last week, you kind of stop growing when you’re on tour; you miss a lot of things with your family and friends.
‘It can be very painful if you’re not prepared and ready to be in the spotlight and be on the road, and mental health issues can build quickly on the road, very quickly.
‘For example, Shawn Mendes is on tour now, but his last tour he had to stop in the beginning of it, because of mental health issues and anxiety and when I saw that, I remembered how I felt on tour.
‘It’s a real thing, and the strongest person can be affected by these things on tour.
‘There’s a sense of, like, Arrested Development when you’re on tour as a music artist, everything stops and you don’t have the normal growing experiences as a normal person’, he added.
‘You kind of get stuck in this tour mode. Some people can be touring. We toured for nearly a year like Groundhog Day, so that can be very hard mentally.’
For more information about glioblastoma and the innovative treatments that preserve quality of life and can be life extending, please visit www.genesiscare.com/uk/memory_bank
