Dad left with 'death sentence' as tumour grew too big for op after NHS delays

24 February 2023 , 16:25

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Don Jackson, a father of five, is battling with liver cancer and has been told he only has months to live

A father has been left with a “death sentence” because delays caused by the record NHS backlog meant his tumour grew too big to operate on.

Professional musician Don Jackson was diagnosed with liver cancer last June but was reassured his tumour was small and that he could expect a liver transplant in two to three months.

The father-of-five says he faced repeated delays for seven months for scans during which he was belatedly informed he could use a live donor from his own family.

Repeatedly delayed scans and checks eventually showed his relative was a good match and would donate half his liver, but after a scan last month he was given the devastating news his cancer was now 5mm too big for NHS rules to allow the op.

Don, in his 50s, was told the news in a phone call from the hospital and informed he had just months to live.

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The family man branded his care 'horrendous' after he waited seven months for a new organ (Don Jackson / SWNS)

The cancer-stricken dad claims he was 'left to die' and is now on a fundraising drive (Don Jackson / SWNS)

He said: “The NHS is on its back. They could have saved me half a year ago if it was running correctly. They said my cancer was very, very small.

“I was told it would be ‘two to three months’. If you look at the NHS website it says it should be 65 days. I waited seven months and now they say they’re going to leave me to die.

“I asked the hospital ‘what’s the delay with all the scans?’ They said they’ve a massive waiting list and they haven’t got the staff and only so many specialists can do them. They’ve just got no resources.”

It comes amid record waits for treatment after a decade of Tory underfunding which has left seven million people in England on the NHS waiting list.

The record NHS backlog meant his tumour grew too big to operate on

He’s since flown to Istanbul where laws permit him to have a life-saving liver transplant (Don Jackson / SWNS)

Don is one of the best-known songwriters and record producers in his home city of York, having starred in bands including The Crowmen as well as digitally remastering albums for other bands.

When diagnosed with the cancer last June his NHS doctors told him to have his bag packed, because the surgery could happen at a moment’s notice.

Then he had one tumour that was 3cm big and “completely manageable”.

"Every time I saw doctors they just said I can't believe you haven't had it yet,” he said. "One doctor said 'I bet all the money I've got in the world you'll have that transplant within a week'.

“Over Christmas I heard nothing about the scans and they admitted they had forgotten me.”

Music has been in his life since he was very young

By the time the NHS was ready to carry out his operation Don had two tumours in the liver, which combined came to just over 5cm.

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NHS rules state that if the total size of the tumours combined is more than 5cm they will not operate.

Don, whose youngest child is just two years old, said: “When they called me in January I was just devastated.

“They’ve left me for dead and given me a few months to live. I had to wait for my kids to come home from school and tell them. We thought it was game over.”

Other countries operate on tumours up to 7cm including Turkey and Don is now trying to raise £80,000 in a matter of weeks to have the transplant there before it is too late.

Don Jackson relaxes at home with his children

A local appeal has raised half the funds so he is currently in Istanbul undergoing the first tests on a ‘pay as you go’ basis, while his family and friends at home desperately attempt to raise the remaining sum.

Dr John Adams, from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The safety of our patients is our top priority. Our specialist clinical teams individually assess the suitability of each patient waiting for a liver transplant."

He continued that the eligibility criteria for liver transplants in the UK "is based on nationally agreed guidelines, administered through the Liver Advisory Group, and aligned with international practice".

A spokesperson for the NHS Blood and Transplant said: "Hospital transplant units have the responsibility for making decisions whether an individual should be listed for transplant based on the policy for each organ.

"If a patient does not meet the criteria, the transplant unit can appeal to the National Appeals Panel for that organ, which includes clinicians from other transplant centres."

You can donate to Don’s fundraising appeal here.

Martin Bagot