Swimmer Archie Goodburn Challenges Rare Cancers Bill
Commonwealth Games athlete, diagnosed with incurable brain cancer, argues new legislation falls short for patients.
Carla Rooney
Archie Goodburn, a Commonwealth Games swimmer, has publicly challenged the efficacy of the recently passed Rare Cancers Bill.
"Yes it's rare, but it's extremely deadly," Goodburn stated. "This frustrates me immensely."
Clinical trials across the US, Australia, and China offer life-changing potential. "We are not seeing them in the UK and it is unfair and unjust," Goodburn declares.
We are not seeing them in the UK and it is unfair and unjust.
The recently passed Rare Cancers Bill, designed to improve research and trials, falls short. Goodburn claims it will not enact the necessary changes.
"What’s frustrating, and we welcome the Rare Cancers Bill, but that Rare Cancers Bill we truly do not believe is going to be enough to make the changes," Goodburn stated.
The bill's provision for two part-time roles across 14 cancer types totals only 36 days a year. Goodburn explained, "I do not see how 36 days a year is going to make that change for 14 different types of cancers, let alone the most deadly type of cancer."
Awareness of brain cancer remains poor. Goodburn said, "I partly feel like why we hear so much about brain cancer and why the awareness is so poor is because patients unfortunately die so quickly."
Andy Burnham, if you believe and want to make a change and a difference to the future of our country and our young population, please listen to us. Please establish a national brain cancer lead and give us a chance to fight for our lives. The things that patients are going through out there are unbelievable and so unjust.
Goodburn appealed directly to Andy Burnham: "Andy Burnham, if you believe and want to make a change and a difference to the future of our country and our young population, please listen to us."
"Please establish a national brain cancer lead and give us a chance to fight for our lives," Goodburn urged. "The things that patients are going through out there are unbelievable and so unjust."
Goodburn concluded, "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."
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