Brit dad stuck in Thailand with cancer needs £88,000 a year to continue fight in the UK

[Scouse123]

15 minutes ago, DavisH said:

It's the worst kind of cancer. I know someone diagnosed with liver cancer. He was gone within 3 months. 

 

Seen three or four go with it and it is not pleasant and survival rates are very poor

Edited April 27, 2021 by Scouse123

[from the home of CC]

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

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.

 

 

any good news out of the US on this?

[Stevemercer]

Jeez - all the bloke wants is a little more life. What is wrong with that? Maybe it is just a wish, and it won't happen, but you can hardly blame the bloke for hoping for a miracle.

 

And a miracle seems statistically possible (at about 1:100 odds -much, much better than any lottery).

[Dene16]

5 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.  

The average life span of patients diagnosed with stage 4 Pancreatic cancer is 2 -6 months so this guy is already on borrowed time. The drug is probably experimental or as mentioned so expensive that the NHS are not prepared to pay it just to increase life for such a small amount of time.

A heart breaking scenario caused by the pandemic. He has been hospitalised for 12 months that's not exactly living.

If he had been Thai he would of been discharged from the hospital 6 months ago at least.I suspect that only the insurance is keeping him there on a morphine drip which is exactly what he would be on in the UK but possibly set up in his own home. Maybe better if any money raised was spent on bringing his immediate family to see him in Thailand before he passes

[chrissables]

11 hours ago, faraday said:

So...?

 

What about UK citizens then?

 

Why not get the pharmaceutical companies to reduce the price.

He is a UK citizen, why think otherwise?

 

Ask a pharmaceutical company? Are you insane? You you really think they would listen? 

 

Pitiful.

[simon43]

2 hours ago, Janner1 said:

Please don’t make a derogatory remark against the NHS, 4 days ago I suffered a problem in my throat so I visited a small hospital in my city, the next day I saw my doctor and yesterday I had an appointment with ear nose and throat at the central hospital, sadly I have been given the bad news of throat cancer however my point here is that the NHS has been under immense strain because of Covid yet it took them just 4 days to rush me through the system and give me a diagnosis.

Sometime during the next two weeks I will receive an appointment for a body scan and biopsy with hopeful treatment to follow.The NHS has been immensely swift, understanding and caring and given me the will to fight this.

 

I think you misunderstood my comment.  The NHS does a great job, under difficult circumstances.  Were I to return to the UK, I'd love to continue funding my private medical insurance, so that I wouldn't be a burden on the NHS.  But like many expat insurance policies, that cover finishes if I permanently return to the UK.  I can take out a UK-only policy from then. but I guess that the premiums would exclude any existing medical conditions that occurred during the time of my expat policy.

 

My best wishes for recovery from your medical condition!

[Topah]

My father died with pancreatic cancer. Even you get few more years it will be not just physically but also mentally very stressful. Sad thing is that your mind works well but body just gives up. Usually diagnose comes very late for example when you go to ordinary health checkup. That was the case with my father. He never smoked or drank alcohol. One visit to hospital at 60yo and doctor says "you have 6 months to live"...

[Dogmatix]

Lynparza has been approved in the US and EU for pancreatic cancer.  Sad for him and other British pancreatic cancer patients that the UK has not approved it. It also shows positive results for some types of prostatic cancer.

[Dogmatix]

9 hours ago, simon43 said:

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.

 

 

If they found out you have just moved back to the UK from overseas, you would have a 6 month wait before being eligible for the NHS.

 

The UK gives very few citizen rights now.  It is all based on being resident.  Foreign residents are entitled to the NHS but returning Brits are not until they have "re-established residency".  They will treat you but give you a bill for the treatment, if they know you have just come back. So be careful not to tell them.  Thailand is the opposite.  Everything based on citizenship.  Nothing for foreign residents who get the worst of both worlds, if they are British.

[David T Pike]

He will be gone in a few weeks or less... Pancretic cancer moves FAST and they usually dont find it until it is stage 4....

[Mark Nothing]

This Father's family members should read the books The Water of Life, by John Armstrong and Your Own Perfect Medicine, by Martha Christie.

 

[bigmac1]

As much as I feel sorry for this fella, you've just got to accept it ,

 as he has gone out there to have a good time in his later years of life, & destiny has just dealt him a <deleted> hand. Doubt he will live much longer than a few months more nomatter what country he is in. Just got to face it........ Nothings certain in life !!

[Old Croc]

There are 166,000 deaths from cancer in the UK every year, One every 4 minutes.

 

Why is this unfortunate man the subject of a thread on Thaivisa? It seems he was lucky (?) he was diagnosed in Thailand and received better treatment, paid by his insurance, than he would have had at home.

Can't blame him from wanting any chance to survive longer, but, again, why is it a story in Thailand.   He's not going to get much financial help from expats here.

[WingFat]

It is not my place to say what this fellow should or should not be doing. But it does confirm my understanding and belief that for all its faults, Thailand is a merciful and caring country when it comes to dealing with sick people and the overall high quality of their medical services at a reasonable cost.

 

As for me, quality of life is more important than quantity (i.e. how many years) of life. Whatever this fellow decides to do, I hope it brings him a sense of peace and dignity.

[Ventenio]

ACTIONS speak louder than words.....He needs money, not words on the internet.

 

Let me guess the amount raised from TVF.........zero.

 

If I get this sickness and need money, I hope the headline is, "Troll away"  

[PAWNEESE]

Desperately sad .... that he is in and many find themselves in.

 

I am confused when I read about hugely expensive cancer drugs .. the cost normally justified by the drugs company because of the huge research costs.

 

I mean ....  cancer research is one of the most well supported types of charities.  They get huge support.  Probably most people have given to them. I bet it is the best supported type of charity.

 

Do they not find the treatment/drugs that the commercial companies find. Cancer research charities must be hugely better resourced and staffed.

 

Rhetorical question ..... 

[Quietus]

Utterly ridiculous article

[MrMo]

That works out at GBP 240 per day or, to use smaller numbers, GBP 10 an hour.   Let me assure, Lorraine King, that the MIRROR's owners are extremely unlikely to be prepared to fork that out for a guy who will have little to contribute to society to the few years he has left.

[Neeranam]

28 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

He's not going to get much financial help from expats here.

To be fair, I don't think he asked for any help.

[androokery]

3 hours ago, Beechboy said:

 

Yep. Me too.

 

Irrational and unfair I know but as soon as I see those aberrations  all sypathy abates.

Can you people please start wearing DNR bracelets so I know not to spend any energy on you in emergency situations?

[Chill27]

None of us know how we'd react if we actually found ourselves in this dreadful situation.

I had a similar fight with NICE many years ago over the drug Herceptin for my sister. She died at 41 from breast cancer. We finally got it for her and it had miraculous initial effects, but by the time we finally got it, her cancer was too far advanced.

I admire his fighting spirit and wish him well.

It can be beaten, very rarely. The singer Chris Rea being a good example. He was diagnosed in 2008 and is still making music despite having had his pancreas completely removed.

 

[Puccini]

From the Mirror article:

Quote

This bought him time to research his illness and he discovered the drug Olaparib, which is sold under the brand name Lynparza, that is used for women battling ovarian cancer and can also be used for people with his condition.

 

If I understand this correctly, so far no medical doctor has told Mr. Tracey that Lynparza (Olaparib) "would help his condition)" or prescribed this medication for him. It is solely on the basis of his own "research" that he has decided to take it if he can get enough money for this treatment.

[Muzzique]

1 hour ago, Old Croc said:

There are 166,000 deaths from cancer in the UK every year, One every 4 minutes.

 

Why is this unfortunate man the subject of a thread on Thaivisa? It seems he was lucky (?) he was diagnosed in Thailand and received better treatment, paid by his insurance, than he would have had at home.

Can't blame him from wanting any chance to survive longer, but, again, why is it a story in Thailand.   He's not going to get much financial help from expats here.

 

I have to agree. he is lucky to have been diagnosed outside of UK to get this prolongation of life. I am sympathetic but I don't really understand what he wants. It's not if but when  the end will come. My advice is to set up a go fund me page and see if others are willing to help. There may be others who have seen a loved one die in this way and want to help his family have more time

The UK will be reluctant to use NHS funds to possibly prolong his life when it can be used to fund another treatment for someone else that can potentially cure someone. 

 

We all have to go at some time, sad but true. He has already had extra time and to use £88,000 to give him more time has to be weighed up against using it to save someone and give them a full life.

 

I'm a sure if money was endless we would fund everything for everyone but there has to be a line in the sand somewhere and this looks like it.

 

Just a warning to others, save and prepare incase something happens as asking for financial help from others is not a guarantee it will be forthcoming. 

 

I have sympathy for him but I do for others asking for the same money to be used elsewhere.

 

 

 

 

[metisdead]

Inflammatory posts, offensive posts and the replies have been removed.

[Puccini]

I have found this published study on the Internet:

Maintenance Olaparib for Germline BRCA-Mutated Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6810605/

Published in final edited form as:

N Engl J Med. 2019 Jul 25; 381(4): 317–327.

 

Some snippets from the section "Results* which I as a layman found interesting:

1. Median progression-free survival
   in the olaparib group: 7.4 months 
   in the placebo group: 3.8 months
2. Median overall survival, at a data maturity of 46%
   in the olaparib group: 18.9 months 
   in the placebo group: 18.1 months
3. Incidence of grade 3 or higher adverse events
   in the olaparib group: 40% months 
   in the placebo group: 23% months
4. Discontinued the trial intervention because of an adverse event
   in the olaparib group: 5% months 
   in the placebo group: 2% months

 

Edited April 27, 2021 by Puccini

[bwpage3]

A reality of life.

 

No one lives forever, either illness or old age.

 

Best to have a plan, long before you get to that point.

 

People really should understand that when you move to a foreign country.

[zaiko]

looks like a waste of money..

[impulse]

4 hours ago, cheapcanuck said:

Sorry for this fellows bad luck. I wish him the best. 

At stage 4, there is little to no hope of him getting out from under this cancer. Best make peace with friends, family and his god. Prepare him for the next and final stage of his life and whatever comes next.

 

"I am responding well to this treatment and now have had the all clear on my scans so I'm free to go home but Lynparza isn't available on the NHS which means I have to pay for it myself.

 

Doesn't sound like he's ready to lay down and die just yet.  

 

Gotta feel for the guy, covered under a travel insurance policy.  Fights it back to get well enough to travel (effectively canceling his travel coverage), but then finds out that the treatment's not available to him if he does go back home.  Unless he can stump up 88K a year.  Rock and a hard place.

 

Here's a good cautionary tale to int'l travelers, since the guy probably wouldn't be around at all if he didn't have travel insurance.  And he wouldn't be faced with repatriating if he had expat health insurance instead of a travel plan.  There's a lesson here.

 

I wonder what the cost of continuing treatment in Thailand, as opposed to going back for treatment outside of the NHS?

 

Edited April 27, 2021 by impulse

[hioctane]

I am curious to know what travel insurance he has. Isn’t this considered a pre-existing condition? I am surprised they even covered it.

 

 

[Benmart]

Compassion is an alien concept for some. Accussations, condemnations and protestations are fatal fodder for those creatures. Their time will come.