A devastated widower is carrying on his late wife’s campaign for life-enhancing drugs to be made available to all terminal cancer patients has opened up about the borrowed time they were able to spend together in an emotional video.
Katie Cohen, 34, was diagnosed with stage four incurable lung cancer in January 2015 and died in April 2017, but was able to fulfill some of her bucket list wishes with her husband Daniel thank to life-enhancing immunotherapy.
Following the couple’s wedding, which Daniel describes as an ‘explosion of joy’, the couple were able to visit the Key West in Florida, see the Northern Lights in Iceland and take in the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
Daniel recalled: ‘We never asked for a prognosis, we didn’t want to know. We didn’t try to determine a timescale of how long we had left. But getting the extra time was everything.
‘It’s funny, you never actually say goodbye,’ Daniel said. ‘The chance to just look at one another and understand you’re together, that means everything.’
Now Daniel is carrying on Katie’s fight for similar life-enhancing drugs to be made available to terminal cancer patients, as she was only able to access them because of her private healthcare and would not have got through the NHS.
The first symptom Katie’s cancer was a cough that wouldn’t go away, and she was diagnosed with inoperable and incurable lung cancer.
She had chemotherapy to prolong her life and the couple married in May 2015, four months after her diagnosis.
Katie then she moved onto a more modern treatment, immunotherapy, which gave her the quality of life to make the most of her time with Daniel.
We did lots together. We went to Key West in Florida, Iceland saw the northern lights.
The couple visited Key West in Florida as they made the most of their time together following Katie’s diagnosis
Katie on her wedding day, which Daniel described as ‘an explosion of joy’
Immunotherapy, which teaches the body to attack cancer cells, allowed Katie the quality of life she needed to fulfil her dreams with Daniel before she died
The couple visited the famous Western Wall in Jerusalem where people leave notes on slips of paper with their prayers.
‘We both put our prayer in the wall and she looked at me and said, ‘I don’t have to ask you what you prayed for’. I said, ‘I know but I don’t think I’ll ever get a Playstation Four’.
‘We both cracked up. Those moments of humour remind you you’re alive.
Before her death, Katie spoke about how she’d been lucky enough to access treatment to prolong her life with minimal side effects.
‘It has absolutely changed my life. I had no quality of life whilst on chemotherapy but now I can live like I do not have the disease,’ she told the Watford Observer.
‘I have private health care and I feel very grateful about that.
‘But at the same time I feel guilty, shameful and angry that other people do not.
‘I do not think people should have to pay for life-saving treatment.
‘I would do anything to have this treatment approved by the NHS.
‘If I was with the NHS I probably would be dead because the NHS do not have the treatment I need.’
The couple visited Jerusalem and left their prayers at the famous Western Wall
Katie and Daniel on a trip to Icleand where they saw the Northern Lights
Her husband recalled how he and Katie didn’t want to know how long they had left and focused on making the most of the time they had together
Katie was in her early 30s when she was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer
Now Daniel is taking on the fight on Katie’s behalf as part of a new campaign from a coalition of cancer charities.
Ovacome, Fight Bladder Cancer, Action on Womb Cancer, Melanoma UK and Second Hope along with Roche are asking the public to show their support for incurable cancer patients being granted access to treatments which may allow them quality time with loved ones.
Louise Bayne, CEO of Ovacome, said: ‘Acess to treatments which have the potential to increase survival for terminal patients is inconsistent and under threat in the UK.
Katie and Daniel visited Paris as they completed her bucket list
Thanks to private healthcare, Katie was able to get the treatment that gave her quality of life but she wanted to see it available to everyone on the NHS
At a time when the NHS faces criticism, we see how important it is for families to know they are getting the very best treatments.
We want to take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank the tireless NHS workforce who take such good care of cancer patients and provide them with treatments that provide them with quality time to spend with their loved ones.
We are concerned that these treatments and care may not be available to cancer patients in the future, and we are passionate about protecting access in the UK so that others may benefit in years to come.’