Telegraph (KC) 05-Aug-08
From Kidney Cancer Resource
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Donor buys cancer drug for victim of NHS postcode lottery
An anonymous donor has paid for a powerful cancer drug for a woman who had been told she could not receive it on the NHS.
By Laura Clout
Jean Murphy, 63, who has terminal kidney cancer, last week lost a three-month battle for Salford Primary Care Trust to fund her treatment with an experimental drug which doctors believe would give her extra months to live.
But this week Mrs Murphy's solicitors received £10,000 from a female donor, and she is set to begin treatment within days. Mrs Murphy, who is the sole carer of her disabled husband, will still need to find the money for the rest of the treatment.
She said: "For once I am gobsmacked by this generosity, I can't thank them enough. After everything we have been through I was devastated but this has completely restored my faith in people."
Mrs Murphy took her case to the High Court after Salford PCT refused exceptional funding for the drug sunitinib, known as Sutent.
A judge ordered the trust to reconsider her case, highlighted in the Daily Telegraph, after finding that Mrs Murphy's circumstances had not been properly considered. However her appeal was turned down last week.
After the decision Mrs Murphy's husband Michael, who has the chronic bowel condition Crohn's disease and diabetes, said he would stop taking his medication in protest once his wife had died.
Mrs Murphy said she had visited her solicitors for more legal advice when she was told the good news.
"It was a total bolt from the blue and I still can't quite believe it. It is like a huge weight has been lifted off me," she said.
Her daughter Cathy Ostasz said: "We should not have to rely on a stranger to provide care which should be available on the NHS but they have done something amazing."
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