Victim’s family vow to fight on

Jan 2 2008 by Audrey Barton, The Journal

THE family of a staunch campaigner for a life prolonging cancer drug is calling on the Government to invest more money into vital research.

Cora Tiffin lost her husband Arthur to asbestos-related mesothelioma, for which there is no cure.

The 53-year-old grandfather campaigned for anti-cancer drug Alimta to be funded for NHS patients and won his campaign in the North-East before his death in July.

The drug was among those which gave him a precious two years after his terminal diagnosis during which time he saw his son Steve marry and became a grandfather twice over. Now his widow is pushing for more money to be ploughed into research for the condition which she believes is neglected in favour of curable forms of cancer.

“On the whole with mesothelioma, people don’t seem to want to find a cure. That is the impression I have got,” she said. “I would like to see the Government put more money into research. There is not enough money put in. It shouldn’t be left to charities to do it.”

Mrs Tiffin, 54, of North Walbottle, on the outskirts of Newcastle, believes there is a perception that people who suffer from mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos, are elderly men whose lives are behind them. “They have the wrong idea. We know people who have been diagnosed in their 30s. It is not just people who worked in the shipyards. It could be someone who has done DIY. Time is precious for them.”

Alimta can give sufferers precious time during which research could find a cure. Mrs Tiffin is backing research being carried out in Newcastle into who benefits most from the drug.

With her son Steve, the family has vowed to fight on as a lasting legacy to Arthur to make Alimta available for NHS patients and one day find a cure.

“People with other types of cancer don’t seem to have this fight – nor should they.”