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.
EXPERTLY camouflaged, this clever panther chameleon knows how to catch its prey by surprise .
A host of websites that are almost twenty years old are collecting a cult following thanks to their retro appeal .
LEAF-ing much to the imagination, this camera trickery is blooming marvellous .
DIVING down at a speed of 75mph, this is the moment a hungry osprey caught his prey .
Most women would jump at the chance to put on some lipstick, sling on a pair of heels and head out for a romantic meal with their other half .
CONTRASTING settings reveal some of England’s most beautiful landscapes in all their glory .
The UK's first hotline - and possibly the galaxy's - for people who have been targeted by aliens has opened to the public .
A NINJA red squirrel cuts a dashing figure as the little fella jumps up to ten-feet between treetops in the Yorkshire Dales .
A good samaritan who came to the aid of a rape victim has told how they were turned away from the Salvation Army because "they only help men" .
A Canadian photographer has captured crystal clear mirror images of Toronto's architecture reflected in puddles - simply by using his iPhone .
A puppy bit off more than he could chew when he stole a six inch Chinese spare rib from his owner and swallowed it WHOLE, Cheeky Staffordshire bull terrier Rossi had his life SPARED when he underwent a life-saving operation to remove the bone from his stomach after swiping part of the takeaway meal .
A man who developed anorexia as a teen has told that dying for 20 minutes helped shock him into recovery .