At 35 years old, I was diagnosed with stage 4 oesophageal cancer and told I likely had less than a year to live.

Before that, I was working full time, raising two young sons, and living what most would consider a healthy life. I did everything the system asked of me. But it failed me at every stage.

Despite visiting my GP multiple times over several years with symptoms, I was repeatedly reassured it was nothing serious. I was never referred for urgent investigation. By the time I was finally diagnosed, my cancer had already spread.

Once I entered the system, I quickly realised that treatment options were limited to a one-size-fits-all protocol. No support was offered beyond chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Nothing for nutrition. Nothing for repurposed drugs. Nothing for side effect management unless it was a crisis.

So I started researching. I worked with leading experts in integrative oncology. I paid privately for mistletoe therapy, off-label medications, a metabolic approach, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and tailored supplementation. I consulted international specialists, paid for next-generation sequencing and built a protocol that combined conventional medicine with evidence-informed, complementary therapies.

The result? I’m still here. Responding. Functioning. Still raising my boys.

But, none of it was funded by the NHS. If I didn’t have the means and mindset to fight for this, I wouldn’t be alive.

This is the reality for thousands of people across the UK: only those with money can access the full spectrum of treatment. Everyone else is told there is nothing more that can be done.

That is not fair. That is not choice. That is not personalised care.

We are calling for the introduction of a Personal Integrative Care Budget (PICB). This would be a ringfenced NHS allocation, prescribed by oncologists or GPs, which patients can use to fund evidence-informed integrative therapies that complement their primary cancer treatment.

Inspired by the Yes to Life Charter and Robin Daly’s work on Personal Patient Budgets, this proposal aims to level the playing field.

This is not about rejecting conventional treatment. It is about expanding access to supportive options that can improve outcomes, enhance quality of life and give people with cancer genuine control over how they are treated.

Countries like Germany and Switzerland already include these therapies within mainstream oncology. The UK is falling behind.

Let’s lead with compassion, innovation and equity. Let’s give every cancer patient the opportunity to explore all safe, evidence-informed options - not just those who can afford to pay privately.

Sign this petition to help create a Personal Integrative Care Budget. Because cancer care should be based on need, not wealth.