Scottish swimmer Archie Goodburn, who has inoperable brain tumours, is set to meet the prime minister to press for greater investment in brain cancer research and care. He previously made a tearful plea on BBC Breakfast, calling for a national brain cancer lead and for overseas clinical trials, including those in the US, Australia and China, to be brought to the UK.
"Please invest and make the difference. I'm on my knees begging for - not just my own life - but for those of my best friends and those that are affected and the families around the country," Goodburn said. "This has to change. It's been going for too long and the suffering is unbearable."
Before the meeting, he said he hoped it would be a "unique opportunity for change". "We cannot accept the status quo in the system, we cannot be risk-averse. People are dying," he added. Charity Brain Tumour Research says the disease is the cancer most likely to kill patients under 40 in the UK, and that charities provide more than 75% of national investment in brain tumour research, with government funding at just 25%.
The Rare Cancers Bill, led by Edinburgh South West MP Scott Arthur, became law earlier this year to incentivise research into cancers affecting fewer than 1 in 2,000 people. Goodburn said it did not go far enough. Arthur called the act "vital" but said the meeting could lead to further work in the field. "I hope his meeting with the prime minister is a moment for concrete progress to be made," he said.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing