The Estevan man whose brave fight against cancer was an inspiration to the entire province has died.
Jeffery Lukye passed away Monday morning at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. According to initial reports he suffered a seizure during a CT Scan and doctors were unable to resuscitate him. He was 31-years-old.
Although he was a quite and humble man, Luyke's story gained province-wide attention in late 2010 when it became public that he and his family, which includes wife Keri and daughter Maya, may not receive funding for a risky, but potentially life-saving surgery at the world famous Mayo Clinic.
After some red tape and hurdles were cleared, it was announced that the province would cover the Lukyes' medical expenses, which were in the $200,000 to $300,000 range.
The approval set the stage for a rigorous trio of surgeries to remove a tumour from his mid-section. In the first surgery, on Dec. 14, doctors performed an exploratory procedure to learn just how far Lukye's cancer had spread. Despite concerns, doctors moved ahead with his second surgery later in December and removed Lukye's leg, half of his pelvis and lower area of his spine. A final surgery to close up his wounds was carried out in January and Lukye was continuing with his recovery in both Estevan and Rochester up until the time of his passing.
The magnitude of his surgeries and brave manner in which he faced them, made Lukye somewhat of a celebrity as Estevan residents and many more people from across Canada followed him through all of his travails while also sending their prayers and best wishes.
The always generous residents of Estevan and area also stepped up to help the Lukyes cope with the financial aftermath. A number of events were held in the city including a cabaret in November that raised well over $130,000. Hooded sweatshirts that read "Fight Like a Lukye" were also sold in the city with all proceeds going to the family.
"The support has been pretty overwhelming actually," said Keri Lukye in a previous interview with The Mercury. "It's a wonderful community."
No further information with regards to funeral arrangements was available before press time.
