A correspondent writes:

WHEN Ewan Bowlby was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 17, he might have been expected to spend as much time as possible trying to distract himself from the implications. But, as his enthusiasm for theological study took him on to Cambridge and then St Andrews, he chose instead to explore his own situation — and that of other cancer sufferers — through that perspective.

His interest in theology had been prompted partly by one of his grandfathers, the former Bishop of Newcastle and Southwark Ronnie Bowlby, as well as teachers at Magdalen College School, in Oxford, where he was a chorister. He was also close to his other grandfather, the poet Tony Harrison, who sparked an interest in both the cultural life of all kinds of communities and the ability of the arts to help confront every kind of human experience.

At Cambridge, his undergraduate dissertation, supervised by Rowan Williams, on Dostoevsky’s use of the Lazarus story in Crime and Punishment to explore paradox, helped to secure him a starred first-class degree in theology. Shortly afterwards, he had a second brain operation, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, when his tumour was found to be cancerous.

He moved to St Andrews and worked with the Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts, researching ways in which popular artworks (including novels, films, and television series) could provide innovative emotional, psychological, and spiritual care for cancer patients. His work covered experiences in everything from a changed sense of time to the importance, however unexpected, of humour to patients and those closest to them.

Alongside his academic studies, Ewan became very involved with Maggie’s Cancer Care in Dundee. He regularly attended a cancer patients’ support group that provided both personal support for him and valuable insights into how his research could be given practical application.

He published several peer-reviewed articles across different disciplines, and his suggestions for practical initiatives have already been taken up by several organisations providing cancer care. He was awarded his doctorate by St Andrews shortly before he died.

He was married last May to Karlee Lillywhite, a fellow student at St Andrews. They moved to live in Hexham, home town of his parents, Chris Bowlby and Jane Harrison, and his brother, Alfie. He also had a sister, Laura.

The Rt Revd Dr Peter Selby, who gave the address at the service of thanksgiving for Ewan’s life, said that Ewan “had discerned in his unchosen suffering a vision and a vocation to be followed with joyful energy. That meant that however much time was going to be left to him was not something to battle to extend, but an opportunity for enhancing the range of human flourishing, both his own and others’.” Through that, “he had forged as a major legacy a strategy for the spiritual care of those with cancer.”

Dr Ewan Harrison Bowlby died on 23 December 2022, aged 27.