Sunderland mum with incurable cancer campaigning for more treatments to be made available on the NHS

Mum-of-three Angela Oliver from Tunstall, is campaigning to urge the government to allow cancer treatments which could extend the lives of those diagnosed with secondary breast cancer to be available on the NHS.

Angela was diagnosed in 2017 with primary breast cancer and underwent treatment however in 2018, she was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer which was tragically revealed to be incurable after scans showed it had spread to her liver.

Since then, the 47-year-old has been involved in activist work to urge the Government to allow for more clinical trials of drugs which are available in the USA to be approved on the NHS.

She said: “I’ve been working with METUP UK and our aim is to turn metastatic breast cancer into a chronic illness in order to allow for more treatments to be made available.

"We work with charities and healthcare professionals to lobby the government as there are treatments out there which could extend the lives of people with secondary breast cancer that can’t be accessed due to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

"People need to realise there is a lot that can be done, I doubt it will save me but it could save my daughters or other women in the future.”

Angela has revealed that her husband Dave, 50, twins Aaron and Natalie, 30, and youngest child Charlotte, 26, are the reasons behind her campaigning work.

She added: “I know that Dave is constantly trying to stay positive but I know inside that he is falling apart, we just have to keep fighting.

"I lie awake at night thinking about what will happen to Aaron, who has cerebral palsy, if I die as Dave works full time so who will be able to look after him?

"He needs his mam, it’s desperately sad and this is why I have to leave no stone unturned.”

Angela has an online fundraiser so she can privately pay for treatment that could possible extend her life and you can learn more of the work at METUP UK does via their Twitter account @METUPUKorg.

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