Courage under fire: Steve Bedwell is losing his leg, but not his sense of humour

Steve Bedwell. Image: Facebook

It’s said that laughter is the best medicine. And remarkably, Steve ‘Bedders’ Bedwell hasn’t lost his sense of humour, even though he’s about to face one of the most confronting days of his life.

Today, at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital, the former co-host of Triple M Melbourne’s Timbo & Bedders Breakfast show will undergo surgery to amputate his left leg.

In June, Bedders’ life and health were turned upside down when suffered a major heart attack.

“It blew out a valve,” Bedders tells Radio Today matter-of-factly. “They had me on the ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machine to keep me alive.”

The heart attack not only left him in a critical condition in ICU, it set in motion a devastating chain of setbacks that would challenge even the most resilient among us.

Bedders had a stroke. And if that wasn’t enough, rampant tissue degeneration then took hold. Oxygen deprivation effectively rendered one of his feet dead.

Bedders says the care he has received at the Alfred has been nothing short of outstanding.

“They’ve been amazing. From the time I was in an induced coma for five days to the times in ICU, and finally back on a ward. It’s just been amazing. They’ve been fantastic.”

Asked how he’s holding up ahead of surgery today, Bedwell says “You know what? I don’t think it’s hit me yet.”

“This whole experience has been like I’ve been in a wave that’s washing over me, and things keep coming and coming and coming … and you don’t have time look forward, you only have time to look back.”

“So I have the feeling that it won’t hit me until a couple of days after.”

“There are lots of messages of support and love and ‘How much can you put up with?’ coming in.”

“I think I’m in denial about the whole thing. All of it, I’m in denial about. Because once you go through a heart attack and a stroke, you think ‘Oh, I can slow down a bit now.’ And then the whole leg removal comes along.”

Bedders isn’t interested in getting fitted with some fancy-schmancy, top-of-the-line artificial leg.

“I decided that I just want a steel pole with a shoe on the end of it rather than a proper looking leg, because no-one’s fooling anybody with that!”

To say it’s been a tough road would be a colossal understatement, but Bedders says thinking about his two young daughters keeps him motivated to push through.

“They need their dad around,” he says simply.

“Mentally, you have to be strong and not let it get to you. It’s just something that’s completely destructive if you let it be that way.”

Bedders’ health journey has prompted him to look back on his life – from radio to television and everything in between.

“I think when anyone’s faced with something major, they become reflective,” he says.

“I might think back about people I’ve upset. Things I’ve done. Money I’ve spent that I shouldn’t have done … and that all ties in with my bipolar.”

“Mixing them all together … it’s like a giant soup of regret.”

As well as dealing with bipolar disorder, in more recent years, Bedders was diagnosed with early onset dementia.

“I think the stroke hasn’t helped it,” he says. “My normal speech pattern still hasn’t returned. I’m forgetting words, forgetting phrases, forgetting names of things.”

“So it’s not getting better, but it’s not accelerating.”

Bedders laughs that his ailments don’t seem to like sharing the spotlight. They prefer to present themselves one at a time.

One of the first phone calls Bedders got was from his old SAFM colleague and fellow comedian Adam Hills, who was born without a right foot, wears a prothesis and often weaves this into his stand-up routines.

Bedders says Hills was quick to offer his understanding and support.

“He said ‘Look, if you need to talk about anything, I’m here. We’re legless brothers now!’”

He is genuinely touched by the flood of support from friends, family and former TV and radio colleagues.

“It gives you a real boost,” he says. “Considering that I haven’t always been the best person in the world, it’s always gratifying when you have people accept your contrition and look further and give support when it’s needed.”

Post-surgery, Bedders – who’s barely been out of a hospital bed since June 20 – faces six months of rehab.

“I just keep wondering what’s going to happen next,” he muses. Then he laughs out loud as he ponders “What could possibly occur??!”

“The whole thing’s been so surreal. I am so grateful for the people who have shown me support. Especially to my ex-wife Elana, who notified all my friends that I’d had a heart attack and kept them updated.”

“She picked up the ball and ran with it. It’s been an unbelievable support.”

“She’s a tremendous ex-wife.”

*Images: Facebook, Triple M, SBS