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.
A former takeaway addict, who once weighed 20st, has lost over 8st in a bid to ditch her ‘fat sister’ tag .
FORGET Thorpe Park this summer as this is a 50 mile-per-hour ride over the Colorado River CANYON .
A terrifying prankster has given unsuspecting urban explorers the fright of their lives .
Pic By HotSpot Media - REVELLER'S NEW BEST FRIEND -IN PIC- MEET the revellers new best friend – an interactive sign that will direct you to the nearest happy hour .
Swimming side by side with divers, these manatees will do anything they can to stay warm .
Meet the world's most lifelike Disney princess - a 21-year-old man from California .
A curious red squirrel takes a break from collecting nuts and tries her hand at photography .
CONTRASTING settings reveal some of England’s most beautiful landscapes in all their glory .
PERCHING on the edge of a flower, these loved-up caterpillars can't resist each other as they enjoy a romantic moment together .
A toddler has shrugged off death an incredible 10 times thanks to his parents who revive him with the kiss of life every two weeks .
A family of foster carers are facing bankruptcy and homelessness after they signed up to a Government scheme to renovate their house to be used for disabled children's short breaks .
A shameless internet troll, who targets young girls online for fun, has slammed victims of cyber-bulling as WEAK .