Siva Kaneswaren, the Wanted star, has opened up about how Tom Parker’s passing has affected him and how it has inspired him to face his own fears and make the most of his life.
Siva Kaneswaren, the bandmate of the late Tom Parker from The Wanted, has spoken out about how Tom’s tragic passing at the age of 33 has affected him.
Siva is currently supporting Memory Bank, a new art installation that honours the experiences of brain cancer patients and their loved ones, and it’s prompted him to reflect on his own journey.
He described how confronting his own fears prompted him to discuss Tom’s premature passing in an exclusive conversation with the Express.
READ MORE: Four women devoure £300 worth of steaks and cocktails then leave without paying
READ MORE: Police share new CCTV from inside library as hunt for missing sex offender continues
When Tom was diagnosed, life was squeezed out every second, and I was reminded of how death teaches you how to live. I immediately signed up to do all the things I’m afraid of because it wasn’t as terrifying as what he had gone through as soon as that. Celebrity SAS made me laugh despite my fear. On Dancing on Ice, I skated on knives until the semi-final. He recalled how much he devoted his life to him on that program.
“I did so many things that I was afraid of.” I recently saw a theatre show where you sing in Spanish because I wanted to learn Spanish. Right after his passing, I did everything, literally speaking. He continued, revealing that he had previously made a surprise trip back to his native Ireland from his LA residence for his mother’s birthday. “I connected with my family once more,” he said.
Reflecting on his final days with Tom, Siva Kaneswaran admitted there were a lot of tears. “We got so close towards the end. We cleared the air. We said things we never thought we’d say to each other. We cried a lot together. Everything just seemed so small now, and all the problems we had – we always butted heads, we always had tempers – the memories we made together I’ll cherish,” he shared, reports the Express.
Siva and the rest of The Wanted had to share their grief with one of the few people who could fully comprehend what it felt like after Tom’s passing.
When I bumped into Danny from The Script in Malibu after hiking, we both had just spoken about how strange it is to grieve in public. He and his bandmate, guitarist Mark Sheehan, passed away in April of that year at the age of 43.
He said, “But sometimes the therapy itself is talking about it in public, just getting it out, and just letting people know. It’s challenging. Every time I sing Gold Forever, Tom’s piece, I have to talk about him because I’m on a US tour with The Wanted 2.0. He confessed, “I have to get it out, because I just get so upset when I don’t get it out.”
He acknowledged that he was inspired by these feelings to back the Memory Bank initiative.
Losing one’s memory is one of the biggest worries of those with glioblastoma. It occurs very quickly. Positive memories are brought to life through this installation.
Because Tom Parker and his family figuratively called themselves the positive Parkers, it became a connection with me. Negative or stressful behavior was avoided. Literally, we laughed it out loud, and it was much appreciated.
Tom was given a life expectancy of six months to a year when he was diagnosed. He endured 18 months of treatment. In 18 months, he accomplished so much. I witnessed a spiritual warrior.
The Memory Bank installation will be on display at the Oxford Westgate Shopping Centre before moving on to the GenesisCare Center in Oxford later in the fall. The GenesisCare website also has it available. Visit the website for more details.
Source: Mirror
Leave a Reply