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
BRIT DESIGNER PUTS INK-REDIBLE PEN ON MARKET FOR £27K
A British jewellery designer with a passion for London's iconic Gherkin has created a pen with an INK-REDIBLE price tag of £27,500 .
SUNBATHING OTTER
A lazy otter finds the ideal spot to soak up the sun and sleep off his lunch .
£10K SPOILT POOCHES - WOMAN SPENDS MORE ON DOGS THAN BOYFRIEND AT XMAS
Vikki Jose, 26 loves nothing more than lavishing gifts on her loved ones at Christmas time .
A LOT OF BOTTLE: ARTIST PAINTS PICTURE USING JUST COKE
This artist had a lot of bottle to re-create a masterpiece painted with nothing but 24 litres of cola .
REAL-LIFE SHIPWRECKED EXPERIENCE
THE THOUGHT OF BECOMING shipwrecked on a remote destination would fill most holidaymakers with dread .
MODEL SPENDS £22K TO TRANSFORM HER ENTIRE BODY
A GLAMOUR model who has spent £22K on cosmetic procedures is hoping that a revolutionary new treatment to give her a designer vagina will end her quest for perfection .
ANIMAL WHISPERER TAMES SILKY SHARK
A diving guide leaves a shark completely docile and balanced in the palm of his hand .
WOMAN WHO LOST 9ST SPENT £11K TO GET PERFECT BODY
A woman has spent over £11k to get the perfect body after a 9st weight loss left her with excess skin .
AERIALS OF FLOODING ON SOMERSET LEVELS
Sam Notaro built his own flood defences to protect his four-bedroom home in Moorland, Somerset Flooding is likely to get worse around Somerset as groundwater levels continue to rise .
MAGNIFICENT SNOWY OWL
An elegant snowy owl spreads her wings and glides effortlessly above the snow covered field .
BOSTON BOMBING AFTERMATH - 17TH APRIL
At least three people have been killed and more than 100 injured, some seriously, in two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon .
DAZZLING BEAUTY OF THE MILKY WAY ABOVE UK AND ITALY
A photographer has captured stunning photographs of the Milky Way above picturesque landscapes in the UK and Italy .