A CANCER patient who was refused treatment by health chiefs under a 'post-code lottery' is on the road to recovery – even though they said he only had three months to live.
Dad-of-two Chris Varley, 62, from High Oaks, Southgate, was first diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a tumour in his right kidney, in 2006.
And when the cancer spread to his pancreas in December 2007, West Sussex PCT bosses refused to fun
d his vital drugs saying they were 'too expensive'. Retired Chris – who was told that he had just three months to live without treatment – is now receiving lifesaving drug Sunitinib from a groundbreaking clinical trial.
But Chris says he was horrified that West Sussex PCT was willing to give up on him.
He said: "Because it was secondary cancer, chemotherapy wouldn't have worked and so I had to wait until they were 100 per cent sure that it was RCC and not pancreatic cancer.
"But because of the 'post-code lottery' I was told I couldn't receive drugs because I live in Crawley which was just horrifying and I really thought it was the end of the road."
Chris said the news that he might not see out the year rocked his close-knit family.
He explained: "It was a traumatic experience for all of us. I have two children and although my son is 27 and my daughter 29, me and my wife weren't sure when would be best to tell them because it was right before Christmas and it's difficult to judge how they will react.
"My son had also just lost a friend a few weeks beforehand that died of cancer and it was very difficult. But in the end we decided it was best just to be honest.
"It must have been quite tough for them I mean I'm just their old dad, they didn't expect for this to happen.
"My wife Julia has been really supportive but she was devastated and I really don't know how she coped."
Chris said that if it wasn't for his GP managing to squeeze him into a drugs trial he might not be alive today.
He said: "I went to see my GP and he was concerned that I had been refused funding for the treatment and said I could appeal, but he also said there was a drug trial and so I opted for that and it's now funded through them.
"I have to take 28 tablets with a 14-day rest period and have injections of Trovax. I do have side effects such as my taste completely goes, and sensitive hands and knees."
He added: "I went for a scan yesterday and it looks like the tumour is shrinking and so it's looking positive."
And bike-mad Chris is now preparing to take part in the London to Brighton bike race on his trusty trike on June 15 to raise cash for the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research.
He said: "The bike race is Father's Day this year – it's always on Father's Day!
"Gone are the days of breakfast in bed! But all of my family will be there to support me in Brighton."
A spokeswoman for the PCT said: "At the moment we have no record of the patients individual case or of them being refused funding for the treatment. I am not saying this is right but its possible we have been given national guidelines for the drugs we are allowed to fund and this drug has not been funded due to that guidance. We are continuing to look into this case."
To sponsor Chris visit www.justgiving.com/ chrisvarley1 and www. justgiving.com/chrisvarley2
