Bangor cancer mum 'begging for life' in bid to get new drug

A terminally-ill Bangor woman told today how she had been forced to ask for public help after being denied a new life-prolonging drug.

Melanie Kennedy (40) who has stage four breast cancer is desperately seeking treatment that is available to NHS patients living in Scotland.

But the mum of two told Downtown & Cool FM that she could not obtain it freely and, as a result, has had to launch a crowdfunding appeal to raise £22,000.

The new drug could potentially slow down the progress of the cancer – and Melanie believes it offers a real chance for her to spend more vital time with her sons AJ and Josh.

She said she was literally "begging for my life". "It’s a horrible situation,” she said

“That’s two drugs now I haven’t been allowed access to so I’ve had a very tearful couple of weeks trying to figure out what I can do.

“This treatment is called targeted therapy. It is Herceptin with a chemotherapy attachment to it so , in theory, it only goes to the cancer cells so you shouldn’t get the side effects.

“They say it’s not about funding – they have this thing called an exceptionality clause where my doctor has to prove I’m exceptional. What is that? Everybody is exceptional.”

For the past four years Melanie has been campaigning for Stormont to address the disparity in cancer treatment in Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, in a statement the South Eastern Trust said: “Within Northern Ireland there is standard process for the consideration of drugs that are not licensed through a Clinical Review Panel.

“The South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust will be in contact with Melanie to discuss her case further.”

As of this morning, £16,000 of the £22,000 Melanie needs had been raised on the crowd-funding site Just Giving.

Melanie took to Facebook once more to thank those who had been so generous and said she will be finding out later today when she can receive the first dose of the drug she so badly needs.