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
MONKEY LOVE

PUCKERING up and enjoying some quality time, these are the most lovable monkeys on the planet .

THE INCREDIBLE BEAUTY OF ICELAND’S ICE CAVES

A stunning ice cave in Iceland is illuminated by sunlight as the bright blue ice appears glow inside .

FLORESCENT PLANKTON LIGHT UP AUSTRALIAN SEA

An Australian beach is illuminated by an enticing neon blue glow as a rare phenomenon lights up the water .

CHEEKY BABY ORANGUTAN

CLIMBING, falling and tugging on his weary mum, this little orangutan is up to all kinds of trouble .

FIGHTING BLACKBACK GORILLAS

FISTS fly as two gorillas take each other on in a dramatic battle .

OLYMPIC KNITWITS - KNITTERS STITCHED UP BY RED TAPE

Housands of cushions handmade as gifts for Olympics athletes may go to waste after London 2012 KNITWITS stitched up volunteers by refusing to allow them to hand them out .

HARVEY NICKS ADS ARE A WEE BIT TOO MUCH FOR SHOPPERS

High street giant Harvey Nichols has come under fire for a "disgusting" ad campaign that depicts a woman peeing herself .

SPLASHING KINGFISHER

CAUSING a splash, this determined kingfisher goes hunting for dinner .

FUNERAL COMPANY MAKE DIAMONDS FROM CREMATED REMAINS

SPARKLING bright inside their box, it’s hard to believe these diamonds are made from the cremated remains of the deceased .

ADORABLE CHIMP SHOWS OFF GYMNASTIC SKILLS

WITHOUT a care in the world, this little chimpanzee shows off her gymnastic skills as she swings around her enclosure .

MILLIONS OF LUMINOUS FISH DWARF DIVERS

SWIMMING in unison, millions of silverside fish dwarf the divers .

AMAZING LIGHTNING PHOTOGRAPHY

STRIKING photos capture nature at its most raw and powerful during Earth’s most electrifying event .