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Caring family is Brian's safety net
Brian Turner is lucky to have a loving family that sticks together when times get tough.
Without them, he would go blind. That is the stark reality for the father of two, and grandfather of five.
And a perfect illustration of the unfairness of the NHS when it comes to funding drugs.
Brian needs Avastin to stabilise the wet macular degeneration that affects his left eye.
It is treated with injections that cost 700 a go. But the NHS refuses to pay.
He and his wife Pauline have enough to pay for three treatments, but Brian may need as many as nine.
So his family has decided to pay for the drug.His 14-year-old grandson Miles is sacrificing the 165 he had saved for a flat-screen TV for his bedroom.
And everyone else is chipping in. Brian and his wife are more than grateful. That is what families are for.
But they are furious with the system.
"Families should not have to do this. We have worked all our lives and paid our taxes," says Mrs Turner.
The NHS pot is not bottomless, but the thought that someone could go blind when a treatment is available is frightening.
But that is presumably what happens to people with limited resources, without the safety net of a large and caring family.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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