Loose Women’s Nadia Sawalha is desperately campaigning after the NHS blocked the one drug that could save her friend’s life...
Imagine if one of your dearest friends had incurable secondary breast cancer and the one drug that might extend her life – described as a ‘game changer’ – was not going to be made available to her – or thousands of others in England and Wales? That is exactly the situation faced by TV presenter – Nadia, and her friend Hannah Gardner because Enhertu – a new cancer treatment said to possibly halt the spread of the disease from seven months to over two years – is not available on the NHS to everyone, reportedly due to the cost. Nadia and two other friends (they call themselves the Fab Four) were with Hannah when she received the devastating news that firstly, her stage four cancer (diagnosed in June 2022), had spread to her liver and secondly, the drug that might help extend her life was not available to her. Now, the Fab Four are desperately fighting to make sure the drug is available to all sufferers in the UK, including her 37-yearold ‘powerhouse’ pal. We caught up with an emotional Nadia, 59, about their next steps….
Nadia, how are you? We are so sorry to hear about Hannah…
It’s really weird, I wasn’t expecting to be campaigning. It’s been a very bizarre few days, let’s put it like that…
Can you tell us about Hannah’s story?
Yes, Hannah was first diagnosed with breast cancer, 11 years ago to the day she was told she couldn’t have Enhertu. She was only 26. It reoccurred twice after that and finally she was diagnosed with incurable stage four secondary breast cancer, which means breast cancer in another part of the body. Her’s is in her liver and lung but, thankfully, there’s a very small amount in her lung.
What treatment has Hannah had so far?
She’s gone through a lot of treatment over the years, but she was told that Enhertu would be the next line of treatment if there was any progression in her disease, and that it was being described as a ‘game changer’. I believe it targets tumours, rather than traditional chemo. Hannah and women like her were led to believe this would be approved for people with the same breast cancer she has, but, last week, we were told that Enhertu would not be available in England and Wales, despite it already being in available in 45 other countries. You can get it in England for a specific type of breast cancer – but not secondary.
