i can issue 4

Editor's letter:
Pioneers for progress

As you will read in the interview with Debbie Howells, she feels she has used her experience of cancer positively, by getting involved in many things she might otherwise never have done. I hope that reading about how patients and carers have coped will help other people to feel less alone.

Sadly, not all such stories end happily. It is, then, with very great sadness that I report that Jeremy Gambrill (who we interviewed in issue 2) died on 14 November. He was so intent on being positive that he kept the real state of his health to himself and his death has come as quite a shock. Our deepest sympathy goes to his family and friends. Jeremy was just amazing – he used his experience to benefit other patients and did much to help cancer networks set up their user groups. I remember him telling me firmly that no-one had the right to decide what information a patient should read and he made just this point to the Department of Health’s Coalition for Cancer Information, of which he was a member.

Good cancer care requires partnership between patients, their families and friends, and healthcare professionals. So it is very pleasing when outstanding achievements by professionals are recognised. Professor Ann Barrett (University of East Anglia) has been made an honorary member of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology – the highest honour it can bestow – for her work.

The improvements seen in cancer services in recent years have been helped enormously by the work of Dr Ian Gibson, MP for Norwich North. He has kept cancer high on this government's agenda. Ian set up the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer and initiated the 'Britain Against Cancer' meeting. He has also been calling for a National Cancer Act to ensure that cancer services are properly funded. We will keep you posted of its progress.

Jean Mossman, Editor