CANCER DRUG FIGHT DAD DIES, EVEN AFTER LYING TO GET TREATMENT
A former soldier who bravely took on penny-pinching NHS bosses in his fight against terminal cancer has died, aged 37. Mark Bannister's wife has revealed how her husband was forced to LIE to doctors in order to get the life-prolonging treatment he had been denied due to a cruel postcode lottery. But after wasting six months of precious time trying to obtain the drug Avastin, Mark's cancer was too advanced for the medicine to have any effect. The dad-of-two succumbed to the brain tumour he had been battling for nine years at around 6am on Monday morning, with his wife Karen, 33, at his side. In tribute to her husband, who served in Northern Ireland and Bosnia during nine years in the army, grieving Karen said: "The Avastin didn't have any effect but we had to fight for six months in order to get it. "In all that time his tumour had been growing. In the end, he had to claim that he was living at another address in order to get the treatment. Who knows what would have happened if he had got the drug sooner - I truly believe it would have helped him.
Other great stories
HIDDEN HIMALAYAN FESTIVAL
A quiet Himalayan mountain village springs to life for a colourful Buddhist festival designed to expel evil spirits and bring happiness .
FIGHTING FOX IS BEATEN BY EAGLES
A fox takes a tumble and lands on his head when he tries to fend off a pair of eagles in Japan .
DANCER REFUSES BIRTHMARK REMOVAL TO KEEP HER INDIVIDUALITY
A professional dancer has embraced her individuality after refusing plastic surgery to remove a giant birthmark on her face .
TROUBLESOME PYLON MEETS EXPLOSIVE END
THIS is the EXPLOSIVE moment when a 50 metre high pylon came crashing down to earth in a rural field .
I LOST HALF MY WEIGHT AND BECAME A WOMAN
Pinning a purple flower into her bleach blonde hair, pretty Ava admired herself in the mirror .
ADORABLE NEWBORN SEALS PLAY IN SNOW
WITH THEIR adorable big round eyes and fluffy white fur, these baby seals are cute enough to melt any heart .
BABY WITH HALF-A-HEART MAKES THIS MOTHER'S DAY EXTRA SPECIAL
A miracle baby born with half-a-heart will make this Mother's Day extra special for her mum - as she was given just 24 hours to live .
A HOLE LOT OF TROUBLE! - WOMAN HAS PHOBIA OF HOLES
Meet mother of four, Jackie Wright, whose bizarre fear means she is terrified of HOLES .
DAUGHTER’S MIRACLE SURVIVAL AFTER POTATO PAN BURNT 36% OF HER BODY - DOCS WARNED SHE WOULDN’T MAKE IT
In June 2023, Aimee da Cunha, 33, from Perth, Australia, was boiling potatoes on the stove when her two-year-old daughter, Hailey, knocked the pan of water over her .
BABY GIVEN THREE PER CENT CHANCE OF LIFE COMES HOME FOR FIRST TIME
A baby who was given just a three per cent chance of survival at birth has beaten the odds to come home - even though docs told his parents to abort him 12 times .