Husband to plead for his wife's life

THE husband of a dying Swansea kidney cancer sufferer will tomorrow plead with health bosses to prolong his wife's life.

Ronald Shaddick has told of his family's anguish after Swansea Local Health Board (LHB) refused to fund a life-prolonging drug for his wife, Hendrieka.

He attacked the decision, saying: "It seems cost is more important than life."

Grandmother-of-two Mrs Shaddick, of Heol-y-Twyn, was first diagnosed with kidney cancer in May this year.

The 70-year-old's consultant at Singleton Hospital, Professor John Wagstaff, said Sutent would be her best chance of life. But the LHB refused to fund the treatment — which costs around £30,000 a year for each patient.

Mrs Shaddick's daughter, Deborah Walters, described how her family had been forced to watch her beloved mum waste away.

"She has gone down from a size 20 to a size 10 in five months because she cannot eat," she said.

"Professor Wagstaff said he cannot give my mum the drug, as it has got to go in front of the local health board."

The family's appeal against the decision is expected to be heard tomorrow.

Ms Walters added: "The cancer is just eating away at everything. She deserves more than this — she deserves a chance."

She said Sutent was the family's only hope of having more time together.

"My mum and dad have been married for 48 years and to see your parents crying is heartbreaking," said Ms Walters.

Mr Shaddick added: "We just cannot go on like this. Sutent is not going to cure the cancer but it will prolong life and that is what we are looking for."

Professor Wagstaff told the Post that trials have shown Sutent to double life expectancy in kidney cancer patients, compared to other drugs.

Referring to the LHB policy of funding the drug only in 'exceptional' cases, Professor Wagstaff said: "Why does a patient have to be exceptional to get treatment on the NHS?"

A spokeswoman for Swansea LHB said: "The provision of treatments locally are in line with national guidance issued by organisations such as the National Institute for clinical evidence (Nice) and the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (Awmsg)."

She pointed out that in August 2007, the Health Minister formally approved the decision of the Awmsg that Sutent should not be recommended for use within NHS Wales for the treatment of advanced and/or metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

"This drug is currently in the process of review by Nice," she added.