Walsall father given three months to live hails NHS approval of 'game-changing' treatment that kept him alive
A father-of-two who was initially given just three months to live is celebrating a hard-earned victory after the treatment that kept him alive was finally approved on the NHS.
Michael Jameson, from Walsall, was 41 when he was diagnosed with both the incurable disease AL amyloidosis and the incurable blood cancer myeloma back in December 2021.
He was given three months to live.
Thankfully, Michael was able to receive DaraCyBorD – the very first treatment for AL amyloidosis – through private healthcare.
Two and a half years on, he has had a complete response to treatment.
In a bid to give other patients access to this life-changing treatment, in 2022 Michael backed blood cancer charity Myeloma UK’s #UnlockDaraCyBorD campaign to make DaraCyBorD available on the NHS.
Now, after a hard-fought campaign and a lengthy appeal process, DaraCyBorD has finally been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
“If I hadn’t received DaraCyBorD, three months later I might not have been around,” said Michael, who has two daughters, Grace and Emily, aged 11 and seven, respectively.
“When I was diagnosed my consultant asked me if I had private healthcare and I was lucky enough to be able to answer yes.
"I can’t imagine what it would have been like for those people who didn’t have private healthcare and those who perhaps haven’t survived as a result.”
