Bill and Val Elliott in Norfolk. Photograph: Antonio Olmos.
Bill and Val Elliott couldn't have prepared for the double blow that they received this spring. Within an hour of each other, on a Thursday afternoon in April, both were diagnosed with different forms of cancer - Bill with prostate cancer and Val with breast cancer.
One diagnosis would be devastating news for any family to bear; for both partners to receive such awful news on the same day is unthinkable. But unfortunately, the situation was to deteriorate further, as Bill and Val subsequently discovered they were to receive very different levels of care.
While Val has been given an expensive, but highly successful drug, her husband has been turned down for the brachytherapy treatment his consultant recommended, on cost grounds. You can listen to them tell their story to Jo Revill, our Health Editor, here.
Jo Revill points out: 'some cancers are more equal than others, and campaigners know that a more vociferous and passionate group is likely to have more success at persuading governments and the NHS to fund their treatment than one that is less vocal ... breast cancer currently enjoys 10 times more funding than prostate cancer'.
The couple are rightfully angry about the 'two-tier service' they are receiving. Val, who has worked for a Primary Care Trust (PCT) for the past 40 years, is angry that her husband is being 'let down' by the NHS. Bill says he is outraged at their PCT's official policy not to fund the treatment, not only for himself, but 'for every guy who finds himself in the same position as I am'.
Bill thinks this inequality is partly due to the fact that men 'don't kick up a fuss about health care because they are scared of talking about illness'. He intends to campaign for prostate cancer to have the same profile and levels of treatment for men as breast cancer does for women, including screening at 50.
What do you think? Have you experienced differing levels of care in the NHS? You can have your say below, or you can email Bill Elliott confidentially at blog@observer.co.uk.
