Rowena Kincaid
Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight Before I Kick The Bucket goes to air. I can’t believe I just wrote that. It’s my first television documentary and I’m pinching myself repeatedly to double-check I’m not dreaming. Ouch. Ouch.
It seems like only yesterday that I first met Rowena Kincaid, the indomitable heroine and presenter of the programme. It was late last summer and I’d been asked to meet her in a pub. I knew nothing more than that she was terminally ill and had an idea for a television programme. I stirred my drink anxiously and eyeballed the clientele. Which one of these people looked the most ill?
Imagine my shock when Rowena introduced herself. The healthiest and happiest looking girl at the bar was, she told me, gravely ill. She told me her story. It was one of bad luck and heartache, punctuated with blue jokes that caught me off guard. Diagnosed with incurable breast cancer, she was now living in a state of limbo. Unsure what to do with what little time remained, she’d had the idea of making a documentary about bucket lists. I liked this girl. She was fearless and funny.
How everything unfolded, I’m not entirely sure. Within days Rowena had charmed BBC Wales into commissioning her idea and strong-armed me into making it with her. Fast forward 12 months and I’m still hanging onto her coat-tails. I’m franticly typing out this blog whilst Rowena prepares for her final day of press to publicise the programme. I’m pinching myself again.
Rowena with 'Before I Kick the Bucket' producer Huw Crowley
It would be a lie to say the process has been easy. Documentary-making is hard at the best of times, let alone when the crew comprises of a first-time filmmaker and a presenter being kept alive by chemotherapy. Health concerns have been real and disruptive and it’s been a struggle to helplessly watch a dear friend ride the roller coaster of cancer. Yet in truth, this project has been a privilege and pleasure to work on. Over the last few months I have witnessed humour, grace and dignity in the face of adversity. I have seen a human spirit that refuses to submit. Rowena, getting to know you has been a joy. I’m so proud to call you a friend.
Rowena Kincaid’s Before I Kick The Bucket is so much more than a film about dying. It’s a masterclass in the art of living. It is funny and frank and frighteningly brave. Rowena, you are an example to us all.
Before I Kick the Bucket, Tuesday, July 21, BBC One Wales, 10.40pm
bbc.co.uk/iplayer
