THE wife of a Swindon man given just months to live has hit out at cancer doctors who she says have left the couple in limbo. 

She is now fundraising in the hope her husband could get specialist care abroad.

Lucy and Darren Taylor got married last May. Six months later, Darren was told that he had a rare form of nerve cancer called malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour (MPNST) – or sarcoma.

The cancer has affected his neck, causing a spinal fracture just as he was about to begin a second round of chemotherapy. Since mid-January

Darren, 36, has been cared for at the Great Western Hospital.
Lucy says that her husband has been left in “limbo land”, with doctors saying that he is too sick to be operated upon – and unable to be given chemo while his bones are broken. He has since broken his arm.

Lucy, 32, from Old Town, said that surgeons at GWH had initially said they were able to operate on Darren, but then reversed their decision.

Lucy believes they changed their minds when doctors based at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) intervened.

“Darren’s prognosis is terminal. He’s been given months to live,” said Lucy. “I was just shocked when they said they couldn’t operate. It’s really frustrating. We can’t seem to get an answer why they can’t operate.

“He doesn’t feel ill in himself. It’s just these fractures stopping him. We’ve just been left to die – left in limbo land. We just feel like everybody’s given up on us.”

The couple, who met through Lucy’s sister on a Boxing Day night out in 2012, had hoped Darren would be able to go into the Prospect Hospice, but have been told that there are too few staff trained to regularly change neck braces – a delicate job that, if not done properly, could leave a person paralysed.

Lucy is hopeful that Darren could be treated abroad. An online fundraising page set up by Lucy last week has now raised almost £12,000 towards a £50,000 goal.

“It’s amazing to see the support from everybody out there,” she said. “It’s been so quick it’s overwhelming.”

They are now waiting for copies of Darren’s medical records before approaching treatment centres in Europe. Should Darren die, Lucy said part of the money would be donated to cancer charities.

Guy Rooney, Medical Director at the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Unfortunately, we cannot comment on individual patients.

“We encourage anyone who has concerns with their care to speak to the relevant teams at the Great Western Hospital in the first instance, especially when the circumstances of their treatment may be complicated or involve multiple clinicians.”

Claire Hobbs, clinical director for oncology and haematology at OUH, said: “Patients with sarcoma have a very rare condition and chemotherapy for them is supervised in the Cancer Centre in Oxford by the expert regional team. If treatment is recommended it will usually be provided on an inpatient basis for this group of patients.”

However, she said that vacancies in the trust’s chemotherapy team would not be to blame for delays in Darren’s care: “Staffing shortages in chemotherapy have no impact on inpatient treatment for sarcoma. The trust is meeting national guidelines in treating cancer patients within the appropriate timeframe.”

To donate towards Darren’s care, visit: www.gofundme.com/a538nx-help-fund-cancer-treatment