A cancer patient who had her treatment put on hold for months has renewed her campaigning efforts after NHS England lost its appeal over funding for a new HIV drug.

Sandra Redshaw, 51, who lives in Hartley was one of the patients who had been denied a cell transplant while the NHS considered funding the preventative PrEP drug.

Her treatment has since been given the go-ahead but funding is still an issue and her transplant was only made possible thanks to her hospital’s decision to fund it.

The cell transplant is due to take place today after the petition she set up at the end of September reached 10,000 signatures in less than a week.

She said: “I have had six days of chemo in the run up to the transplant so have been at the UCLH since Wednesday (November 9).

“UCLH agreed to pay for it and fight for funding and I wrote to NHS England four weeks ago, but have had no reply to date.

In the court ruling on Thursday November 10, the three judges rejected NHS England’s argument they could not legally commission the preventative PrEP drug.

Sandra is a mother of three and her condition, a type of lymphoma called Waldemstrom’s macroglobulinaemia affects about 4,000 people in the UK.

She was diagnosed with the rare form of blood cancer 15 years ago while she was pregnant with her middle child.

She said: “I would like to carry on supporting Waldemstrom Macroglobulinaemia UK in their fight but I might take two or three weeks at home before.

“The decision was no surprise really and now we’re waiting for NHS England to re-prioritise these new treatments.

“But in the meantime nothing is being funded and patients are slowly queuing for treatment.”.”