CANCER victim Michael Young finally has something to celebrate after being told that he'll be given the revolutionary new drug Sutent, which could put years on his life.
The news comes after a campaign in the Birmingham Mail's Stirrer column to ensure the father of seven from Selly Oak gets the treatment.
Research shows that Sutent (also known as Sunitinib) can dramatically shrink certain tumours, but although it's widely available in some other parts of the country, it's not yet routinely prescribed in the West Midlands.
Michael feared he'd become another victim of the 'postcode lottery'. He's already lost a kidney to the disease and faced a nail-biting three-month wait to find out whether he'd be allowed the drug, during which time his fourth tumour was discovered.
South Birmingham Primary Care Trust has now decided that Michael qualifies for the prescription - now he's looking forward to a new lease of life.
"I'm absolutely ecstatic," he said. "I wasn't expecting a decision until later this month, but I had a phone call out of the blue from my consultant's secretary telling me I'd been approved.
"I'm extremely pleased to be coming out of this with something of a lifespan.
"'I'm hoping that at least this will slow things down. In some cases Sutent has been successful in extending life quite markedly."
