A mum who spent the last weeks of her life campaigning for others has died. Rachel Davies, 39, who had secondary cancer announced her own death in a moving social media post.
She was one of about 1,000 people who couldn’t get access to a treatment that could have extended her life because it has not been approved for funding on the NHS in Wales, England, Northern Ireland. The drug, called Enhertu, can give patients with a specific type of incurable breast cancer an extra six months to live on average. Read more about the campaign here.
Rachel, who has secondary breast cancer, was described as a “warrior” for using her last days to campaign for better access to the drug. But after her health deteriorated at the start of December, she announced her own death this week with a note to everyone to “live your life and live it well”.
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Her posts said: “If you’re reading this, then it means I’m no longer here, I can’t say to a better place as that is impossible!
“What a life I’ve had, and surprisingly, since cancer entered my life. When I look through my photos, I’ve done and seen so much since cancer, and probably some of my best memories are from this period. In so many ways, I have to thank it for learning how to live fully. What I wish is that everyone can experience the same but without needing cancer. Get out there, experience life fully, and wear that dress!!!
“I’m so sad to leave my family and friends, I wish I never had to go. I’m so grateful to have had Charlie young so that I’ve watched him grow into the man he is today, I’m unbelievably proud of him. I am thankful I had the opportunity to have Kacey and Jacob in my life. Lastly, I was blessed to meet the love of my life, my husband, and my best friend. I have no regrets, I have had a wonderful life. So to all of you, don’t be sad ive gone. Live your life and live it well. Love, Rachel x”
Rachel speaking about her campaign on BBC Breakfast in October -Credit:BBC Breakfast
The health assessment body, NICE, is the only organisation around the world so far to say no to the drug for this condition. It says that it is too expensive for the NHS to fund. But it is available in 19 countries in Europe and Scotland, which is why Rachel had even contemplated moving thousands of miles from her Swansea home to give her a chance at living longer.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “In Wales, we rely on the independent advice of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to ensure the cost of treatments we make routinely available to patients in Wales are in balance with their benefits. NICE guidelines apply in Wales, England and Northern Ireland.
“NICE considered whether Enhertu should be routinely available, and despite applying a modifier to give the treatment a better chance of being approved, they concluded that the cost outweighed the benefits to patients and the NHS.”
Rachel was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2021, when she had a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. But two months after her treatment finished she was given the devastating news that the cancer had already spread to her bones and lungs. She was diagnosed with secondary cancer and was told she couldn’t be cured.