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
SWALLOW WHOLE - YOUNG BIRD ENJOYS DINNER TIME
PERCHING on top of a gate, this young barn swallow waits patiently for his mum to return with dinner .
CRICKET FINDS AN UNUSUAL SEAT
A cricket perches on an unusual seat after crawling up the snout of a crocodile .
THIRD WHEEL OWL
PERCHED on a branch, this Little Owl plays third wheel to two love birds .
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 .
HOURS FROM DEATH: TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME NEARLY KILLED ME AFTER LEAVING TAMPON IN FOR FIVE DAYS
A mother-of-one has told how she nearly died after contracting toxic shock syndrome from a tampon .
PHILEAS FROG: KERMIT'S WORLD TRAVELS CONTINUE PREV
A Kermit the Frog toy made famous by travelling the world is still globehopping, having racked up an incredible 420,000 kilometres to some of the world's furthest flung places .
UNDERGROUND CHIC
Full of tired and busy commuters, these underground stations are rarely admired for their architecture or beauty .
NERVOUS SQUIRREL
EAGERLY BITING his nails, this little squirrel is clearly nervous of looming predators as he searches for his meal .
IPAD GAMES FOR KITTIES TURNS THEM INTO PI-CAT-SSO
Is your cat bored? Do his usual playthings simply not do it for him anymore? Not to worry - there's an app for that .
ADORABLE STOAT HUNTS IN THE SNOW
DASHING through the snow, this little stoat is on the lookout for a Christmas feast .
STUNNING INTERSTELLAR PATTERNS
IN a galaxy far, far away, this collection of stunning interstellar formations will leave you STARSTRUCK .
BEATEN TO A PULP FOR MY TRANS-FORMATION, BUT I WON’T LET THE BULLIES GET ME DOWN
Ashlee, 20, has always known that she was supposed to be a girl .