Diagnosis is too late

Aug 17 2006 By The Journal

A man had to wait 22 weeks for a hospital test which revealed he had just six months to live, it emerged yesterday.

The 76-year-old Derby grandfather made a series of phone calls to Derbyshire Royal Infirmary before finally receiving the X-ray.

The scan found he was suffering from oesophageal cancer and doctors discovered the disease had spread to other parts of his body.

The Derby Hospitals NHS Trust confirmed the patient's appointment had "gone missing" and launched an investigation.

The man said: "Things might have been different if something had been done before. It might not have spread."

Dog mauls boy

A FOUR-year-old boy needed 200 stitches to his face after he was attacked by an American bulldog.

George Brown was playing near his home in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, when he was mauled by the dog on Monday.

George's grandmother, Denise Western, 52, said: "A neighbour managed to drag the dog off but it had taken a massive bite out of the side of his face. His face was hanging down by his arms. My daughter had to lift his face up so the ambulance crew could hold it together."

The dog was put down. Police said the owner might be liable for prosecution.

Squirrel attack

A COUPLE returned from a weekend away to find their house had been trashed by a squirrel.

Retired engineer Alan White, 67, and his wife Janice, 65, came found their lounge had been ransacked, with damage estimated at thousands of pounds. They initially feared burglars had broken into their Cheltenham home, but the culprit was found to be a squirrel. Trapped, it's thought the rodent had entered via the chimney, then chewed window frames and furniture in a bid to escape.

Death plunge

A BRITISH man who fell from a hotel balcony in Greece with his two children has been charged with murder after his six-year-old son died.

The Bristol man, whose two-year-old daughter survived the fall, has also been charged with attempted murder.

The young girl is in hospital in a stable condition following the fall on the island of Crete.

The 32-year-old man also remains in hospital under police guard.