A man who had a terminal cancer diagnosis and who Labor described at the launch of the party manifesto as “the party of hope for a better future that I will never live to see”, is now cancer-free.
Nathaniel Dye, a 38-year-old music teacher, was diagnosed with incurable stage four colon cancer in October 2022, and the tumors are believed to have spread to his lungs, liver and lymph nodes.
After radiofrequency ablation treatment at the Royal London Hospital, Dye was declared cancer-free on Tuesday. However, due to the extent to which the cancer had progressed, he still only has a 10% chance of survival.
Dye posted a photo of himself in hospital on X on Tuesday, telling his followers: “Based on scans, this man does not have cancer. I can’t believe I’m writing this. It hasn’t started to sink in yet!”
At each of the Labor events he addressed, introducing West Streeting and Keir Starmer, Dye talked about his difficulties accessing treatment on the NHS, which is struggling with delays in urgent cancer treatments. Last month he said that because of these delays it was “almost certain that I will be dead” within three to four years.
When he spoke to the Guardian on Tuesday, no cancer was detected in his lymph nodes and lungs. The tumor in his liver had shrunk to less than 2 cm.
“Before this procedure, success for me looked like avoiding an unexpected trip to the emergency room. I am fully aware that I am fighting a losing battle, but even this small victory is great,” he said.
“If this means I can be cancer-free for just one day, that would be a dream come true. In the long run, this means next to nothing. But today, in this moment, it means everything. I am overjoyed.”
Dye said Starmer and Streeting called shortly after he shared the news to wish him well.
Last month, at the launch of the ‘six steps’, Dye said: ‘I try not to think about what would have happened if the tests, scans and appointments had happened faster.
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“But I have waited more than 100 days for treatment, while the government target is 62 days. And there’s a good chance that the time I’ve spent on waiting lists has cut my life in half – I’ve just passed my 2,000th week and most people will live to be over 4,000.”
He added: “If my cancer had been caught early, I would be looking at another 30 years of economic productivity. Instead, I stared into the barrel of early retirement and early death.”
He described Streeting as the “only person I trust to save and transform our NHS”.
Streeting said: “I am incredibly happy for Nathanial and so grateful to the brilliant NHS staff caring for him. Although the road ahead is not easy, it is much longer than we feared and we know Nat will enjoy every precious day and make the most of it. He is truly inspiring.”