Mum denied drug that would save her life after being instructed to not fear
And, in a merciless twist, she is being refused entry to a drug that her physician and household consider is now her greatest likelihood for survival.
Julie Woodington first began affected by issues together with her sight within the lead-up to Christmas in 2020. However, she initially dismissed the symptom, assuming it was only a migraine.
But the situation acquired step by step worse, so Julie went to see her optician after the festive interval. Her son, Ben Woodington, 31, mentioned she requested if it was “anything scary like cancer”. However, she was reassured that this wasn’t the case – and was instructed that it was presumably a indifferent iris.
But, weeks later, Julie obtained a name with devastating news that may change her life – and the lives of her members of the family.
The mother-of-two was instructed that her imaginative and prescient issues is perhaps being brought on by a tumour behind her eye. However, this was a secondary tumour – and Ben says Doctors spent months making an attempt to find the place his mum’s main tumour was positioned.
Doctors couldn’t begin remedy till they discovered the first tumour. And so Julie and her household might do nothing as her most cancers unfold.
Ben mentioned: “What followed was months and months of tests which was incredibly stressful for her and the family… they were trying to find out where the primary tumour, which was in her lung, the secondary one was behind her eye.”
By the time the tumour had been located, Julie’s cancer was diagnosed as late stage 4. Ben said his mum had “every treatment under the sun”, from chemo to immunotherapy and radiotherapy. She also put herself forward for two clinical trials.
Early on in her treatment, doctors identified a mutation, called HER2, in Julie’s cancer. Her oncologist recommended one specific drug, Enhertu, that could help with such a mutation.
However, lung cancer patients in the UK cannot access Enhertu through the NHS – even though it can accessed by breast cancer patients and is available to lung cancer patients in the United States.
“She’s been told by her oncologist this is a really effective drug, but unfortunately we can’t give it to you,” Ben instructed The Mirror.
“One of the most painful experiences for her is being told that, and whilst breast cancer patients are receiving it in the same hospital. It’s incredibly frustrating, everyone in our family feels powerless.
“I work inside most cancers analysis and it is particularly unusual for me being conscious of the analysis happening and the trials and being utterly powerless to do something.”
The family are fundraising to buy the drug for Julie themselves. “This is the last option we have,” mentioned Ben. “There’s one different chemotherapy drug that they might use, nevertheless it’s an old-fashioned, gnarly drug which causes the worst unwanted side effects.”
Click here to go to the fundraiser and donate.