Drug has given me a life again

May 24 2008 by Chris Robinson, The Journal

A NORTH mother who is fighting terminal cancer yesterday told how the drug denied to her by the NHS has turned her life around.

Friends and family of Karen Gault, of Jesmond, Newcastle, have helped to raise more than £30,000 over the past six months for the drug Avastin, which has helped her feel once again like “any other mum”.

Health chiefs ruled the drug was not cost-effective – but Karen, 44, said a recent scan revealed just one 5mm tumour in her lung where previous scans had shown multiple tumours in her lungs, three in her lymph nodes and one in her liver.

Statistically, Karen, who lives with husband Paul, 48, and three-year-old daughter Grace, in Jesmond Dene Road, had 10 months to live when diagnosed, but she has just passed the two-year mark.

And the former NHS administrator is now looking forward to spending the summer with her a family before seeing Grace begin school in September.

She said: “We are going to have a fabulous summer together, it is going to be so special. I have had the line taken out of my chest and now I can go swimming with Grace.

“I can also look after her on my own. We spent the weekend together last weekend which allowed Paul to go off to Kielder so he is getting his life back.

“I am living a normal life now. I am running around with my daughter playing which is something I couldn’t imagine, I’m just like any other mum.”

Karen was forced to fundraise to pay for the treatment after health guidance body the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice), would not fund it on the NHS, claiming it was not cost-effective.

She has vowed to continue battling for the drug to be made available to her on the NHS, although a third appeal has failed and Newcastle Primary Care Trust maintains there is no evidence to show that there have been clinical benefits.

But yesterday Karen said: “I feel fabulous and I am ready to fight on.

“I have responded really well to the treatment and have stopped the chemotherapy.

“They have found that I only have one tiny tumour in my lung and beforehand there were multiple tumours.

“Avastin is keeping me alive. It stops the blood supply getting in to the tumour so that it can’t grow.

“The fact is this works, when they were saying that there was no guarantee.”

Previously Karen had been receiving combined chemotherapy and Avastin, spending around £1,200 a fortnight on the treatment, although the cost has been reduced to £900.

After a supreme fundraising effort from family, friends, and donations from total strangers who have read Karen’s story in The Journal, the family have enough money to keep the treatment going until next July.

Karen added: “This will be what I will have to spend for the rest of my life.

“Bowel Cancer UK said that one man lasted seven years.

“Statistically I should have lived 20 months, but this has been 24 months now.”

Page 2: Rejected again by NHS