\n A Somerset grandfather battling recurrent lung cancer says specialist treatment in London has given him hope \u2014 but his family has had to make life-changing financial sacrifices to fund it.\n<\/p>\n
\n Patrick \u201cJoe\u201d Stephens, 69, and his wife Ruth say they’ve had to make the drastic decisions to afford the proton beam therapy treatment, after being told the NHS could offer only palliative care.\n<\/p>\n
\n A military veteran, Joe worked as a rifleman and radio operator in the Somerset Light Infantry in the 1970s before a career working on the railways for many years.\n<\/p>\n
\n Joe has faced cancer treatment for more than a decade, after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015 and later with lung cancer in 2019.\n<\/p>\n
\n After further treatment, he said scans in early 2026 showed the cancer had returned.\n<\/p>\n
\n Joe and Ruth pictured with their family, as they plan to move in with their daughter to save money. (Image: Ruth and Joe Stephens)\n<\/p>\n
Couple share “soul-destroying” decision to afford treatment<\/p>\n
\n Joe and Ruth said they were “devastated” when they were told they were not eligible for NHS funding for proton beam therapy.\n<\/p>\n
\n They sought a second opinion from a private lung oncologist in London, who carried out further investigations and offered the treatment with potentially curative intent.\n<\/p>\n
\n The couple said they paid about \u00a315,000 for consultations, surgery and other medical costs before facing a \u00a350,000 bill for the proton beam therapy, plus \u00a32,400 for accommodation during Joe\u2019s six-week stay in London.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ruth said: \u201cI have got a small pension from the company I worked for \u2014 most of my pension, to be honest \u2014 and that\u2019s been funding us to pay the instalments so far.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n She added: \u201cWhat\u2019s the point of me having that money in my pension if I\u2019ve got nobody left to share it with?\n<\/p>\n
\n “I\u2019d much rather spend it on my husband and try and get him well and have nothing than leave that money in my bank and have no husband.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Joe and Ruth have said they’ve having to sell their (Image: Ruth and Joe Stephens)\n<\/p>\n
Joe and Ruth sell their “forever home” to cover costs<\/p>\n
\n Joe said the couple had put their home on the market in an effort to raise the remaining money, but have since had to reduce the asking price.\n<\/p>\n
\n They plan to move in with their daughter, while their daughter and son-in-law sell their own home so the family can find a property together.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe ended up having to give the house away to sell it,\u201d Joe said.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe\u2019ve spent a lifetime paying in our taxes \u2014 40-odd years of taxes and insurances \u2014 but when we needed that help, we didn\u2019t get it.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cNow we\u2019re having to forfeit a lifetime of hard work to help give me some years or save my life.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Joe added: “It\u2019s soul-destroying, to be honest. It breaks my heart that I\u2019m having to take my wife\u2019s pension.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Couple call for rethink on NHS funding decisions<\/p>\n
\n Joe said the treatment had already made a major difference to him: \u201cThis treatment has been a life-saver and changer for me.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s really saved my life, and if nothing else it\u2019s given me hope \u2014 which is a bit more than I had six weeks ago.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n The NHS says the specialist therapy is funded for certain cancers, including some complex brain, head and neck cancers and sarcomas, but is not suitable for other cancer cases. NHS England did not respond to requests for comment about Joe’s case.\n<\/p>\n
\n NHS England\u2019s policy states proton beam therapy is not routinely commissioned for adults with lung cancer, concluding that available evidence does not show better outcomes than modern photon-based radiotherapy, according to 2021 commissioning policy documents<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n