Women Fighting For Herceptin (UK)

Hi, my name is Richard Ault and I am an English journalist working on the Sentinel, an evening newspaper based in Stoke, Staffordshire, UK.
I am working on a run of stories with a group of ladies who all have Her2 breast cancer. They have all been told that they could benefit from treatments with Herceptin, but under English law, they cannot receive the treatment until it has been given a licence, which will not be until next July at the earliest.
The ladies are all very determined to force a change in the law and will be visiting 10 Downing Street on Thursday, September 22, to hand in a petition to Prime Minister Tony Blair.
They need all the help that they can get and I have been running a newspaper campaign supporting their efforts.
I am appealing to you all because it would help their cause if I could put an article in my paper about how different the treatment is in America and how herceptin is prescribed for early stage cancer and the benefits it has had.
If you could email me your stories and how Herceptin has beneifited you, it would be a great help to me. My email address is richard.ault@thesentinel.co.uk. If you would like to visit the ladies' website, it is www.fightingforherceptin.org.uk
Thank you very much for your time,
Richard

I put in an email to Dot Griffiths to find out if OUR signatures would help or do they need to be from UK citizens. I will let you know what I find out.

Rhonda

Hi Rhonda,
I speak to Dot quite regularly and my paper is running copies of the petition every day.
I am sure she would be absolutely delighted to get signitures from America, the more names the better.

Thanks
Richard

Hi Richard,

Thank you for taking up this cause. I am being treated in the UK, although self-funding, partly because I fall outside the six month period, but I have been very upset about this matter. And, of course, certain insurance companies are paying for it.

I know of at least one person with stage III breast cancer (inflammatory) who is getting it in London on the NHS, but I know of a woman who was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer while pregnant in Cambridge who is not getting it. You couldn't make this stuff up.

Anyway, I will draw attention to the fighting for herceptin campaign. I will do what I can to make UK patients aware of it.

Take care,
Christine

Thanks Christine, any chance you could put me in touch with the lady who is getting it funded and the one who isn't, I would like to write an article about the "post code lottery", how some health trusts will fund it while others won't.
Thanks,
You can contact me at richard.ault@thesentinel.co.uk or on 01782 602525 ext 3143.
Richard

Hi Rhonda, I've just been speaking to Dot and she says she can't see an email from a Rhonda from the US, she is doroth.griffiths3@btinternet.com.
She sends her apologies, says please sign online and if you send her another email she will reply,
thanks,
Richard