Andy Tracey was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer last March (Image: Andy Tracey)

 

EXCLUSIVE: Andy Tracey, from Clapham, has found a 'wonder drug' that could extend his life by up to four years - but it is not available on the NHS for his type of cancer so he needs to pay £88,000 a year

 

By Lorraine King

 

A Brit stuck in Thailand after being diagnosed with incurable cancer is trying to raise funds to extend his life in the UK.

 

Andy Tracey was trying to enjoy a well-earned break when he started suffering crippling stomach pains so sought medical help.

 

After undergoing several tests, he was given the devastating news that he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer on March 21 last year.

 

Medics in Thailand gave him just months to live.

 

Due to the pandemic, the 59-year-old was unable to fly home to be with his family and friends so was forced to stay in Thailand where he had an operation followed by 12 rounds of chemotherapy.

 

Full story: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/brit-dad-stuck-thailand-cancer-23759663

 

-- © Copyright Mirror 2021-04-27

 

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So...?

 

What about UK citizens then?

 

Why not get the pharmaceutical companies to reduce the price.

Seems like a decent guy, but might be more realistic to sort his will out than chase more fantasy treatments. 

12 rounds of chemo?  Not sure I could do that.  Just let me go.

My (non-medical) knowledge of pancreatic cancer is that at stage 4, it is usually going to be 'lights out' pretty soon....

 

But his predicament does raise an interesting question.  He has medical insurance, which covers his medical bills when outside the UK, and his insurance company has been footing the medical costs.  But usually, such 'expat' insurance policies stop providing cover when you return to your home country, and he is now well enough to return to the UK.  If his Thai doctors said that he wasn't well enough to travel back to the UK, then presumably his insurance company would still pay his bills...

 

I have an expat policy which provides $1 million cover, but only when I'm outside the UK.  If I return to the country that I left 20+ years ago, (or I'm medivaced back to the UK), my insurance cover stops and I join the NHS queue.

 

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Due to the pandemic, the 59-year-old was unable to fly home to be with his family and friends so was forced to stay in Thailand where he had an operation followed by 12 rounds of chemotherapy.

Poor guy. But he has not been forced to stay in Thailand. There have been many flights in and out since last March and I have many friends that have flown both ways.

Such a stupid headline like somehow he would be better off in UK. In fact the headline should read as:

Brit dad receives life saving cancer treatment and medication in Thailand, which not available by UK NHS.

I have force myself to make abstraction of his tattoos, so that I can feel sympathetic.

 

Guess I am living in some parallel world, sorry.

I think not any 4 stage cancer is treated anymore, as it's too late, medicines or operation won't work. 

Only experimental treatments, a guinea pig, if any doctor takes him on, with a few months extension of life. Or organised medical studies on new drugs. 

He is lucky to have those treatments and very lucky to be still alive. Maybe misdiagnosis.

And there are no wonder drugs for any medical condition, but there are medical miracles - he already had one.

 

20 minutes ago, Boomer6969 said:

I have force myself to make abstraction of his tattoos, so that I can feel sympathetic.

 

Guess I am living in some parallel world, sorry.

 

I agree with you. Tats don't make the man but they do dampen my enthusiasm... and I am surprised to find as little sympathy for this guy here on TV... I guess everyone is tired of go fund me pleas. If it were me... I would go back to my country and smoke up a storm of grass until I die... I would not want to be a burden on others and I would rather be off to greener pastures rather than be set for suffering for the next few years. 

 

I have an uncle who used to talk the talk about how he didn't fear death and how he would rather pass away bravely rather than suffer... he is now 93 and sooo very scared of dying... 

 

Point is, I guess we are all brave with our lives until we are faced with losing them...

1 hour ago, LazySlipper said:

Point is, I guess we are all brave with our lives until we are faced with losing them...

Don't include me in your 'we', I'm OK with death.

And if you gave me 88k GBP, I'd find a better use for it than trying to extend my life another year.

 

How selfish would you have to be, as an old man whose life is over, to expect others to give you 88,000GBP/year to live a little longer? Better to use that money to buy milk powder to feed starving African children, etc. ................

1 hour ago, internationalism said:

He is lucky to have those treatments and very lucky to be still alive

The only treatment he needs is palliative. Reduce symptoms and give him dignity for the short rest of his life. I heard about quacks in BKK and phuk who promise healing and make lots of cash. But that one case that I know of has not been healed. Without operation and chemotherapy he would not be alive any more (if he still is, did not hear from him for a few months)

 

He should be grateful for the op and chemo that he got in LOS - I guess that's why he is still around. Life expectancy less tan 12 months means without the treatment that he got..

I thought Great Britain was one of those panacea health care for everyone countries?  Oh wait, it says the NHS doesn't cover the drug for his type of cancer.  

Additionally, I lost my closest personal friend two years ago from Pancreatic Cancer.   While I can not fault the man for wanting to try, pancreatic cancer is curable only if it is found at a very early stage and can be removed surgically.  Once it has metastasized the chemo slows its growth but does not cure and it extends ones life by a matter of months.  The typical pancreatic cancer patient lives for just over 1 year.  You had such celebrities as Steve Jobs, Michael Landon, Patrick Swayze, and recently Alex Trebek all of whom had the resources to go anywhere and be treated with the best available treatment.  Their treatment gave them months not years.  

The full article says it all; 'metastasised to my liver'. He was informed correctly about what would have happened in the U.K. He would have been given palliative treatment only (a cocktail of daily tablets reviewed by a cancer doctor). Thailand has actually done very well for him. I believe that a Thai would receive the same treatment for 30 baht as he got paid for by his travel insurance.

When your numbers up...

2 hours ago, sweatalot said:

The only treatment he needs is palliative. Reduce symptoms and give him dignity for the short rest of his life. I heard about quacks in BKK and phuk who promise healing and make lots of cash. But that one case that I know of has not been healed. Without operation and chemotherapy he would not be alive any more (if he still is, did not hear from him for a few months)

 

He should be grateful for the op and chemo that he got in LOS - I guess that's why he is still around. Life expectancy less tan 12 months means without the treatment that he got..

Some years ago a very famous man decided not to follow doctor's advice in relation to pancreatic cancer. It might be that he made a life or death decision. He was , also, probably correctly, perceived as a very clever man.

2 hours ago, Thomas J said:

I thought Great Britain was one of those panacea health care for everyone countries?  Oh wait, it says the NHS doesn't cover the drug for his type of cancer.  

Additionally, I lost my closest personal friend two years ago from Pancreatic Cancer.   While I can not fault the man for wanting to try, pancreatic cancer is curable only if it is found at a very early stage and can be removed surgically.  Once it has metastasized the chemo slows its growth but does not cure and it extends ones life by a matter of months.  The typical pancreatic cancer patient lives for just over 1 year.  You had such celebrities as Steve Jobs, Michael Landon, Patrick Swayze, and recently Alex Trebek all of whom had the resources to go anywhere and be treated with the best available treatment.  Their treatment gave them months not years.  

It would seem that Steve Jobs refused some treatment that his doctors had recommended, which would have given him a better chance?!

1 minute ago, Andrew65 said:

It would seem that Steve Jobs refused some treatment that his doctors had recommended, which would have given him a better chance?!

I am not aware of that, however people with stage 4 pancreatic cancer  have generally a very short time to live even with aggressive chemotherapy. Note 5 year survival rate is 1%. 



https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/pancreatic-cancer/pancreatic-cancer-prognosis#:~:text=Stage IV pancreatic cancer has,about 1 year after diagnosis.

6 minutes ago, Thomas J said:

I am not aware of that, however people with stage 4 pancreatic cancer  have generally a very short time to live even with aggressive chemotherapy. Note 5 year survival rate is 1%. 



https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/pancreatic-cancer/pancreatic-cancer-prognosis#:~:text=Stage IV pancreatic cancer has,about 1 year after diagnosis.

I believe that Steve Jobs declined having surgery in favour of some 'treatment' that he had found. By the time he decided to follow doctor's orders it was too late. I think this was pretty much confirmed by his sister, and by one of his friends.

He had just two choices not including the one he took. Stay in the UK  or fly to Australia and live out is last 9 months if he is lucky. He would of had free  medical in Auss.

99% with any pancreatic cancer passway with a year 

Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. A very aggressive and terminal carcinoma. Palliation should be the primary focus in a case like this. Why waste 88k GBP when there are other world issues with a realistically better prognosis?

 

 

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

After undergoing several tests, he was given the devastating news that he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer on March 21 last year.

Look I am sure we all have some sympathy for the guy, but most of us that went back to the UK were returning on that date - not flying out. This guy flew out - whilst wanting to enjoy a last few months/year - knowing full well that the world was about to shut down and potentially strand him. 

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

I have force myself to make abstraction of his tattoos, so that I can feel sympathetic.

 

Guess I am living in some parallel world, sorry.

The one thing i know about tattooed people is that they don't care you don't have any

8 hours ago, faraday said:

So...?

 

What about UK citizens then?

 

Why not get the pharmaceutical companies to reduce the price.

 

i think the issue is that UK has nto yet approved it for use in metastaic panceretaic cancer.

 

it was originally developed for us in certain types of breast and ovarian cancer and it is used approved for use in the UK, under the NHS, for those conditions.

 

it was approved for use in metastatic pancreatic cancer in the US only in December 2019, so quite recent.

 

From the article, the UK is in the process of reviewing the data and considering whether or not to expand usage to pancreartic cancer.

 

 

22 minutes ago, mvdf said:

Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. A very aggressive and terminal carcinoma. Palliation should be the primary focus in a case like this. Why waste 88k GBP when there are other world issues with a realistically better prognosis?

 

Clearly the decision UK NICE made when deciding that this treatment wouldn't be be made available free on the NHS. The cake is only so big, and there are only so many ways you can cut it. 

5 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

I have force myself to make abstraction of his tattoos, so that I can feel sympathetic.

 

Guess I am living in some parallel world, sorry.

This isn't about you. 

28 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Look I am sure we all have some sympathy for the guy, but most of us that went back to the UK were returning on that date - not flying out. This guy flew out - whilst wanting to enjoy a last few months/year - knowing full well that the world was about to shut down and potentially strand him. 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually from the article being stranded in Thailand is incorrect, he is now able to return.  The Daily Mirror played loose with its headline.

 

His issue is that once back in the UK his travel insurance will no longer cover him and UK NHS at this time does not  provide this drug to patients with pancreatic cancer, though they do for other types of cancer for which the drug was originally developed. Its use in advanced pancreatic cancer is very, very new and not yet approved in the UK so at this time he would have to pay privately for it.

32 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Look I am sure we all have some sympathy for the guy, but most of us that went back to the UK were returning on that date - not flying out. This guy flew out - whilst wanting to enjoy a last few months/year - knowing full well that the world was about to shut down and potentially strand him. 

 

 

 

 

Her was diagnosed in Thailand 

5 hours ago, zoltannyc said:

Such a stupid headline like somehow he would be better off in UK. In fact the headline should read as:

Brit dad receives life saving cancer treatment and medication in Thailand, which not available by UK NHS.

 

I didn't read anywhere in the post that he is receiving "life saving" cancer treatment and medication in Thailand, just 12 rounds of chemo and that Medics have given him only months to live. No one is knocking his treatment here in Thailand from my understanding.

 

The above said, it is good that he has medical insurance as Simon43 pointed out as it's usually the other way around with a GoFundMe page, otherwise that could may have shortened his life, that said, when most of us leave our home lands and become X-pats because of the way our governments change the laws to their advantage, albeit we still remain citizens, the governments look at us as outcasts as we no longer contribute to the economy by way of paying taxes, so place unfair restrictions upon us, e.g. no medical treatment until we re-establish residency back in the country, or have a 6 month restriction on medical treatments that they will pay for from the date you return, plus take away our voting rights, pretty clever and of course is absurd IMO.

 

Anyway, I wish the guy all the luck in the world to get back to the UK with said money, to receive treatment that may extend his life for 4 more years. Can't put a price on that, but we all know what the reality is.

He could have put on a shirt on for the photo and opened his eyes.