WHEN Norman Stanford found out he had lung cancer the news was devastating enough. But finding out he wouldn't be getting the drugs he needed because he lived in the 'wrong area' has left him furious.
Mr Stanford and his wife Shirley say they are the latest victims of the NHS's 'post code lottery', after being denied the so called wonder drug Tarceva.
Though it can't cure his condition it has been proven to extend the lives of people with non small cell lung cancer by stopping the cancer from growing, and it is already freely available on the Scottish NHS.
"I've had absolutely no treatment at all," said the Framefield Drive resident.
"They've told me I'm not suitable for chemotherapy, radiotherapy isn't suitable for my type of cancer and that I can't have the drugs that would help me because of where I live.
"All they've said is that I have months rather than years and I should come home and just sit and wait."
"It's all very unjust," added Shirley. "We've worked all our lives and paid all our taxes so we presumed that if we were ill we'd be treated - and yet we've had nothing, when you really need it, when the situation is desperate, they're not there."
The couple have been married for 40 years and Shirley says the trauma of the last few months has made her realise how important Norman is to her. "I want him with me for as long as possible, I don't want to lose him before I have to, not when there's a drug that could help him.
"We've thought about moving but all our family and friends are in Solihull, and there's no way we c o u l d afford to fund it ourselves, it costs about £1,600 a month.
"I feel like screaming about it, like going down to London to protest or sitting in Solihull Hospital until they help him but they'd just leave me there, I know they would, it's awful."
A spokeswoman from Solihull Care Trust said: "Tarceva is a new drug and is still being considered by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. "The funding of this drug is not routine and will be considered on an exceptional basis but we expect that Solihull Care Trust will introduce the routine use of Tarceva when and if the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance is published and supports the drug's routine use on the NHS."
