Funeral of cancer campaigner held

Mr Gray hoped his campaign would help others

The funeral of a cancer sufferer who won his fight to make the NHS pay for a drug he hoped would prolong his life has taken place.

Mike Gray, 53, died last Wednesday at Buckie, Moray, with his wife Tina, family and friends around him.

NHS Grampian had argued cetuximab would not be cost effective, but later agreed to pay for the drug.

Mr Gray then continued to campaign for a fairer system for others. His funeral was held at Moray Crematorium.

Doctors stopped treating Mr Gray, a former social care worker, last month after discovering his bowel cancer had spread.

He had been forced to pay �3,400 every fortnight for cetuximab after the health board initially agreed with the advice of the Scottish Medicines Consortium that the drug was not cost effective because it could only prolong his life, but not cure him.

'Inspirational man'

Mr Gray took his fight to the public petitions committee of the Scottish Parliament, urging them to consider the provision of cancer drugs to ensure equity across NHS boards.

Speaking in March, Mr Gray told BBC Scotland he had no regrets about his campaign as he hoped others would benefit as a result.

In a statement issued through a family friend, his wife said: "He saw an injustice and I knew he was compelled to fight it.

"He wasn't just the love of my life but the finest man I have ever known."

NHS Grampian said it was saddened to hear of his death, and Bowel Cancer UK said he was a "very brave and inspirational man".

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