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.
AN ADORABLE one-eyed kitten has been dubbed the 'pirate cat' because of his pirate-like facial expressions .
Gabrielle Dale, 26, was subjected to seven years of coercive control and physical abuse at the hands of her violent boyfriend Sean Owen, 29 .
An Australian explorer has travelled the globe with a toy pig, known as Travel Piggy, in search of a missing cuddly companion .
SHOVELLING food into his mouth, this hungry gorilla enjoys a peaceful moment at dinner time .
At first glance what might look like ordinary rusty bridge and road railings, are in fact amazing works of art .
A woman who battled aggressive bowel cancer has started a fashion blog offering style tips for those living with a colostomy bag .
HIDING behind its flipper, this little seal comes over a little camera shy .
A woman who suffered from body dysmorphic disorder has overcome her illness by becoming a LINGERIE MODEL .
USUALLY full to bursting, these London Underground stations stand silent and completely commuter free .
A student has finally hit puberty after a four year battle against anorexia stunted his growth .
A brave leopard kicks back and relaxes in the sunshine - just inches from an enormous crocodile .