A cancer-stricken dad who was refused an NHS liver transplant says he'd been forced to fly to Turkey for £80,0000 emergency treatment. Don Jackson, in his 50s, waited seven months for a new organ before doctors said his tumours were too big for surgery. He’s since flown to the Turkish capital Istanbul where laws permit him to have a life-saving liver transplant operation - if he can stump up thousands for his medical bills.
The dad-of-five said British doctors had told him he would need a transplant in June last year after finding a cancerous 3cm tumour during an MRI scan on his liver. Don claims he was told it would take roughly two months to secure a suitable organ, but by Christmas, he was still waiting. In January this year, scans revealed his main tumour had grown and a second lump had appeared in his liver, leading doctors to refuse treatment as they were too large.
The musician says he has just three months to live. He said: “Every time I went there, they promised it would be a week or another week or two. One of the consultants even said: ‘I will put every penny on you getting it next week’. But basically, it’s ridiculous. I have been left to die by the UK, and I’ve needed to go to another country and find £80,000 to try and get some help.
