Family’s fight for dad’s cancer drugs

“YOU cannot put a price on life”. These are the words of a young man whose father is being denied a cancer treatment because it is too expensive.

Aaron Heslop’s father, Bill, was diagnosed with liver cancer in the summer.

The drug Avastin has been shown to increase life expectancy in cancer patients, but has been deemed too expensive by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to be prescribed on the NHS.

Bill’s family and friends are now trying to raise the £21,000 needed for a course of treatment.

“What NICE say is that it extends life by only four to six weeks, but there have been so many cases where people are living for years afterwards,” said Bill’s wife, Petra.

“Even if it is only a couple of weeks, I would do anything. If someone said I had to sell my house for a couple of extra weeks with him, I would. He is my husband.”

Avastin has been shown to increase life expectancy in patients with advanced bowel cancer, or bowel cancer which has spread to other organs, usually the liver or lungs. Bill, 62, of Middle Road, Shoreham, beat bowel and colon cancer six years ago, but the large tumour growing on his liver remained undetected, until he started to feel ill earlier this year and Petra made him visit the doctor.

A study into Avastin has found patients typically live 21.3 months longer, compared with 19.9 months with chemotherapy alone.

Aaron, 25, of Freshbrook Road, Lancing, said: “I believe you cannot put a price on life.

“Any extra special times with my dad, and for him with his 16-month-old granddaughter and the rest of the family, are a must- have.”

He added: “Even if it is an extra six months, that is great as far as I’m concerned.

“The chemotherapy is doing what it should for now, but for how long, we just don’t know. It is a nightmare.”

Foster parent Bill had three sessions of chemotherapy at Worthing Hospital before being transferred to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, to begin his Avastin treatment.

Petra, who celebrated her third wedding anniversary with Bill on September 24, praised everyone in the oncology department at Worthing, particularly Dr Andrew Webb and his secretary, Helen. They should both get medals – they have gone above and beyond,” she said.

She said the prospect of the treatment had given her fresh hope.

“I spent the first few weeks in shock, in absolute horror, but now I feel much more positive,” she said.

Sponsored walks and a football match have already taken place and a fund-raising day will be held at the Royal British Legion Club in Buckingham Road, Shoreham, on Saturday, October 16 from 3pm with a host of fun, games and prizes to be run in an raffle and auction.