Pensioner wins funding battle for life-prolonging cancer treatment
A pensioner told he wouldn't survive until Christmas because he couldn't afford a cancer treatment drug freely available in Scotland has won his funding battle.
Former dockyard worker Victor Lamb, 66, faced spending more than £12,000 of his life savings on the drug Alimta to treat his asbestos-related lung cancer.
The drug is available for free on the NHS in Scotland but local health authorities in England can still decide who can receive a course.
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Victor Lamb and his family have finally won funding to pay for his cancer treatment
Victor had been told he may not survive until Christmas and was forced to pay for his first chemotherapy session in November himself.
But he has now been told his health authority will pay for the rest of his treatment and he could live to see his daughter's wedding in February.
His wife Carol, of Whitsand Bay, Cornwall, said: "We are thrilled. When his consultant called to tell us, for a minute it didn't seem real.
"It's wonderful news, but it should be made available for everyone who needs it. So many people are going to be diagnosed with it.
"If people in other countries get the drug automatically, why shouldn't we?"
