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
VIBRANT TIME-LAPSE VIDEOS CAPTURE BLOSSOMING FLOWERS

VIBRANT bursts of colour fill the screen as beautiful flowers blossom in these time-lapse videos .

WORLD'S CRAZIEST BEARDS

CRAZY BEARDS come into their GROWN when they've been twisted and waxed into shape .

WOMAN'S SKIN TURNED SILVER AFTER TAKING NOSE DROPS

An American woman whose skin turned silver after using nose drops is warning people of the dangers of medicines containing the metal .

FLY FISHING

A fish almost escapes the beak of a bird as they both soar through the air .

RED SMOKE AT NIGHT, VOLCANO SPOTTERS DELIGHT

With the vivid red smoke billowing into the sky amid the misty sand dunes, these are the blissful views provided at the break of dawn at a volcano .

CATERPILLAR KISS

PERCHING on the edge of a flower, these loved-up caterpillars can't resist each other as they enjoy a romantic moment together .

LAZY FROG

KICKING back and relaxing with his arms outstretched, this chilled-out frog appears to be loving life as he takes some time out on a water lily leaf .

STOLEN £2K BULLDOG REUNITED WITH FAMILY VIA TWITTER

STOLEN £2K BULLDOG REUNITED WITH FAMILY VIA TWITTER - A £2,000 bulldog puppy snatched from her home by burglars has been reunited with her family thanks to Twitter .

BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES CAPTURED ACROSS EUROPE

From the crisp, snow clad mountains to vivid bright blue rivers, these breath-taking photographs capture the incredible beauty of various landscapes across France and Italy .

NOT FIT FOR DOGS - RSPCA RESCUERS FIND ANIMALS IN SHOCKING FILTH

It's incredible to think anyone could live in such horrendous squalor - yet two men have been prosecuted for keeping their homes in such revolting conditions that it was no longer fit for their animals .

AMAZING AURORA BOREALIS

A GLOWING range of greens and blues sweep across the sky in a spectacular display of light .

FIGHTING BLACKBACK GORILLAS

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