{"id":688814,"date":"2026-07-13T06:45:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T06:45:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/688814\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T06:45:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T06:45:20","slug":"greater-manchester-mum-refused-nhs-breast-cancer-treatment-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/688814\/","title":{"rendered":"Greater Manchester mum refused NHS breast cancer treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Sarah Barchetti, who lives in Middleton and turned 50 earlier this year, has launched an appeal for help after exhausting all treatment options currently available to her through the NHS<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

\n The mother-of-one, whose 14-year-old daughter she describes as her “absolute world”, has secondary breast cancer and recently received devastating news that her latest chemotherapy treatment is no longer working.\n<\/p>\n

\n Her family has now started a fundraising campaign<\/a> in the hope of raising more than \u00a3200,000 needed to access a drug privately that has shown promising results for patients with the same type of cancer.\n<\/p>\n

\n In just two weeks, the appeal has already raised around \u00a344,000, but Sarah and her family say they have a long way to go.\n<\/p>\n

\n Speaking about her situation, Sarah said: “This is the worst possible position to have ever found myself in, and if I don’t raise these funds I won’t make it, it’s as simple as that.\n<\/p>\n

\n “My husband and all my family and friends are doing everything they can but we need to move quickly and sharing my story feels like the way to reach more people.\n<\/p>\n

\n “I’m a Manchester mum of a 14-year-old daughter and she is my absolute world.\n<\/p>\n

\n “She needs me and I’m ready to fight.”\n<\/p>\n

\n Sarah’s cancer journey began in 2015 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.\n<\/p>\n

\n Seven years ago, the disease progressed to secondary breast cancer.\n<\/p>\n

\n Over the years, she has undergone surgeries, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, scans, biopsies and numerous treatments while continuing to surpass medical expectations.\n<\/p>\n

\n According to her family, one professor even described her as a “phenomenon” because of how long she has continued to fight the disease.\n<\/p>\n

\n Until recently, Sarah chose to keep much of her illness private to protect her daughter and family.\n<\/p>\n

\n However, her condition has taken a significant turn in recent weeks after scans showed her tumours<\/a> had started growing again despite two years on a chemotherapy treatment that many patients are only able to tolerate for around six months.\n<\/p>\n

\n She is now due to start a low-dose chemotherapy she has previously received, although her family says it is not considered the best option and is intended to help stabilise her condition while they seek access to further treatment.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"SarahSarah Barchetti and her husband, Martin. (Image: Sarah Barchetti)\n<\/p>\n

\n Sarah’s family stress that the care she has received from NHS staff throughout her illness has been “nothing short of amazing” and say her medical team has done everything possible to help her.\n<\/p>\n

\n The issue, they say, is access to a newer drug that is available to some secondary breast cancer patients on the NHS but only if they meet specific eligibility criteria.\n<\/p>\n

\n Although the treatment has shown positive outcomes in patients with the same type of cancer, Sarah does not qualify under the current NHS rules because of the specific receptors associated with her cancer.\n<\/p>\n

\n Her family says applications for exceptional funding on compassionate grounds have been rejected.\n<\/p>\n

\n They have also contacted their local MP and the Department of Health and Social Care in an effort to challenge the decision.\n<\/p>\n

\n Sarah believes many women are facing similar situations.\n<\/p>\n

\n “There are so many women losing their lives due to lack of funding and treatments,” she said.\n<\/p>\n

\n “The treatments that have been through trials and proven to work we can’t access.\n<\/p>\n

\n “This is simply due to funds and my life not being worth extending.”\n<\/p>\n

\n The cost of private treatment is beyond what the family can afford alone.\n<\/p>\n

\n One three-week cycle of Sacituzumab Govitecan costs more than \u00a320,000, with six to eight months of treatment expected to exceed \u00a3200,000.\n<\/p>\n

\n Another possible drug, Enhurtu, is available on the NHS in Scotland for Sarah’s type of cancer, but is not currently available in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland.\n<\/p>\n

\n NICE’s guidance on Enhurtu states that the ‘most likely cost-effectiveness estimates were above the range NICE considers an acceptable use of NHS resources’.\n<\/p>\n

\n An NHS England spokesperson said: “Sacituzumab Govitecan is available on the NHS and it may be that the patient doesn\u2019t meet the criteria.”\n<\/p>\n

\n The spokesperson added that NICE does not recommend Enhurtu, citing the same guidance relating to cost-effectiveness.\n<\/p>\n

\n Sarah’s husband, Martin, said the family’s focus should be on spending precious time together rather than fundraising.\n<\/p>\n

\n “Instead of being able to focus on us as a family and Sarah’s health, a lot of our time and energy is being spent trying to raise funds for the private treatment that NHS England<\/a> should be providing,” he said.\n<\/p>\n

\n “We still count ourselves lucky that we have friends and family willing to fight with us where other people in the same situation aren’t so fortunate and are alone.”\n<\/p>\n

\n To donate to Sarah’s fundraising campaign, or to read her story in full, visit https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/for-sarah-98mva<\/a>\u00a0or search ‘GoFundMe Sarah Barchetti’.\n<\/p>\n

\n The family have vowed to continue fighting for access to the treatment and are appealing for donations, fundraising support and help sharing Sarah’s story.\n<\/p>\n

\n They say every contribution, no matter how small, could help bring Sarah closer to a drug they believe could give her more time with the people she loves.\n<\/p>\n

\n “Sarah is not just a patient or a name on a piece of paper,” her family said.\n<\/p>\n

\n “She is an amazing mum, an incredible wife, sister, auntie, daughter and friend.\n<\/p>\n

\n “We truly believe that if she is given the chance to access this treatment, she will continue to defy the odds just as she has done so many times before.”\n<\/p>\n

\n For Sarah, the fight is about one thing above all else: being there for her daughter.\n<\/p>\n

\n And with treatment potentially within reach but only if the funds can be raised, her family say hope remains their most powerful weapon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sarah Barchetti, who lives in Middleton and turned 50 earlier this year, has launched an appeal for help…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":685323,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[102,2960,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-688814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/685323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}