Wymondham woman crowdfunds for cancer treatment after NHS refuses to pay
Megan McClay told ITV News Anglia's Natalie Gray she wants to live as long as possible
A young woman with an aggressive cancer is trying to raise tens of thousands of pounds herself for ground-breaking treatment after the NHS said it would not fund it.
Megan McClay, 29, has ocular - or uveal - melanoma, a form of eye cancer which has now spread to her liver.
She is desperate to get the potentially life-saving chemosaturation therapy, which has been found to be effective in almost 90% of patients, according to the national charity Ocumel UK which supports patients with the cancer.
Ms McClay, from Wymondham in Norfolk, says without the treatment - which can cost up to £240,000 - she may not see her 30s.
"I, of course, have a strong desire to survive for as long as possible and it worries me that finances may be what prevents this from happening," she said.
Ms McClay told ITV News Anglia she had so much of her life ahead of her before her diagnosis.
She met her partner Dimi when they were both working for the insurance company Aviva in Norwich - they were planning marriage and babies.
But then in February 2020 her world turned upside down.
"I was just in a meeting at work when I noticed a flashing light in the corner of my eye. I called an optometrist who, as soon as I mentioned flashing light, immediately said 'Go to A&E," she said.
The couple have just launched a crowd funding page in a desperate attempt to fund the treatment themselves.
Her partner Dimi Kashchiev said: "Personally for me it's very frustrating because it is something that we know works and that we have to pull all of our resources - and the resources of people outside of our circle and the public to be able to give a life-prolonging treatment and buy us time."
Neil Pearce, a recently retired consultant surgeon and chairman of Ocumel UK, said: "It really is devastating that patients with ocular melanoma that has spread to the liver are being denied access to a treatment proven to boost survival."
A statement from NHS England said: "While Nice incorporated chemosaturation therapy into the available treatment options, it specifically advised using it with caution.
"NHS England also identified there was insufficient evidence to make it routinely available and will look to review the evidence again later this year."
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