After losing her husband to a brain tumour, a woman is sharing how doctors labelled him a “miracle case” after the family sought alternative treatment.
Neil Lanciano was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) in April 2020. After exhausting the NHS standard of care, his wife Hayley says she “felt compelled” to do something.
Neil underwent surgery which removed more than 94% of the tumour in May 2020, but just six weeks later the tumour returned, full size and still growing. He was given radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but it had no effect on stabilising the cancer and further surgery was deemed too dangerous. All further NHS treatment was ceased and doctors told Neil he only had weeks to live.
Hayley said: “We felt deflated, nothing was working. I felt compelled to take Neil’s diagnosis into my own hands. I was desperate to give Neil some kind of quality of life, for his sake and so he could be here a bit longer to watch our teenage daughters, Abbie and Emily, grow up.”
Millions have now read Neil’s story as it has been shared widely including in the Daily Mail and Mirror, with Hayley revealing how her husband defied doctors' expectations by living another two years after the couple turned to cannabis oil, which is illegal in the UK because of its THC levels.
“It is shocking to me that we were forced into this position, but there was no other option available to give Neil some quality of life and alleviate his suffering. The NHS standard of care for brain tumours is not fit for purpose; that is why more research to find a cure is desperately needed,” Hayley added.
Neil survived more than two-and-a-half years after he was diagnosed. He died on 29th November 2022, aged 46, surrounded by his loving family.
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