Lasting legacy of cancer victim dad

6:02am Thursday 29th November 2007

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By Barry Nelson »

A CANCER patient who died days after securing an important victory for sufferers across the region said he was happy in the knowledge he was leaving behind a lasting legacy.

Dave Hill told his wife Tina he would die a proud man after helping other NHS patients get the treatment they needed.

Mr Hill, from Darlington, County Durham, lost his fight for life at the town's Memorial Hospital on Monday, only six days after his case persuaded health bosses to perform a U-turn over the supply of the new drug Tarceva.

It means every North-East lung cancer patient who might benefit from the drug will now recieve it.

Yesterday, Mr Hill's campaign was described as "seminal" by the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

Tarceva, a new drug that can extend the lives of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, is available in Scotland and much of Europe, but not in England.

The decision of the North-East and Cumbria Cancer Drug Approval Group means that lung cancer patients in the North-East and Cumbria are the only ones in England able to receive the £2,000-a-month drug.

Before he died, Mr Hill told his wife, Tina, that he was proud to have played a part in helping other cancer patients.

Last night, family friend Geoff Marsh, who runs the Golden Cock pub, in Darlington, said: "Dave was ecstatic when he heard the news that the NHS had agreed to fund Tarceva for everyone in the North-East.

"What he really wanted was for everyone who needed it to get the drug.

"He knew he was going to die at some point, but he was happy that he had helped others.

"He has not died in vain," said Mr Marsh, who is married to Mr Hill's niece, Mandy.

Tributes to the Darlington father-of-four also came from Mike Unger, chief executive of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

He said: "He played a very, very important role. He was seminal in changing the minds of this drug approval group. It is a great legacy."

The 46-year-old father-of-four was rushed to the hospital last Tuesday suffering from a collapsed lung.

Despite the best efforts of doctors and nurses, Mr Hill's condition deteriorated. He died at about 6am after developing pneumonia.

His request to Darlington Primary Care that they should give permission for his NHS consultant to prescribe Tarceva resulted in the North-East and Cumbria Drug Approvals Group announcement on November 13 that eligible patients should be given the chance to have the £2,000-a-month drug on the NHS.

The announcement by the drug approvals group was made on the day Mr Hill was taken to hospital.

The decision was hailed as a breakthrough by the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, which wants Tarceva to be made available in England.

Mr Unger said there was "massive" interest in Tarceva, with his charity's website recently recording 45,000 hits on its drug information section.

Earlier this year, the drug watchdog Nice decided not to approve Tarceva for general use in the NHS on the grounds of cost.

Tarceva, which works by interfering with the signals that tell lung cancer cells to grow, has been shown to extend the lives of patients.

Seventeen European countries have so far agreed to provide Tarceva as part of state-subsidised health services.

In September, The Northern Echo highlighted the plight of Mr Hill after his youngest daughter, Chantelle, six, launched a fundraising campaign to pay for the drug.

After being told by his NHS consultant that it was unlikely he would get it on the NHS, Mr Hill decided he would have to pay for the drug.

But Mr Hill, who has been ill for years, needed donations from family and friends to cover the cost of the drug.

Regulars from the Golden Cock pub raised several thousand pounds by cycling from coast to coast.

Other donations pushed the total to £5,500.

Mr Hill began private treatment with Tarceva a few weeks ago and was showing signs of improvement until his relapse.

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