THIS weekend, two Oxfordshire women will be remembering their late husbands who fought for the right to receive life-prolonging drugs as they battled kidney cancer.
Jim Wheeler died two years ago, hoping to the last he would be eligible to get the drug Sunitinib after repeatedly being told his case wasn’t exceptional enough.
The 56-year-old’s wife Jenny says she will never forgive the NHS for refusing her husband a few more months of life. And she campaigns on.
Twelve months ago Stephen Dallison, 35, lost his fight against kidney cancer, just hours after marrying fianceé Olivia Glover.
Back in 2007 Stephen won the right to receive Sunitinib after first being turned down.
He said the drug worked wonders, and continually spoke out against the frugal NHS budget which leaves hundreds of cancer patients begging for life-prolonging drugs.
And Olivia fights on.
As the country faces up to its debts, it is vital that the most vulnerable are protected as much as possible from the inevitable cuts.
We applaud Jenny and Olivia for allowing us to tell their stories. They represent a powerful lobby.
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