A woman who has been battling terminal bowel cancer for five years says a drug health chiefs have refused to fund for her is her last hope of prolonging her life.

Sheila Norrington, from Barming, was diagnosed in June 2003, and has undergone 36 cycles of chemotherapy in that time.

But the West Kent Primary Care Trust has rejected a request to fund her for the drug Cetuximab, which she says will give her precious extra weeks and months

“I was totally distraught,” she said of hearing the news that she would not receive the drug. “It won’t cure me but we believe that it will prolong my life; it may be only two or three months but minutes are precious to me.”

Mrs Norrington, with her husband Goff, says she will appeal against the decision.

A PCT spokesman said its panel had looked at Mrs Norrington’s case to see whether her’s was clinically exceptional for the combination of drugs which she wanted.

She said: “The PCT’s independent treatment panel held an urgent hearing to look at her case as a one-off and after examining the issues very thoroughly it couldn’t find evidence that she would respond differently from other patients for whom it isn’t recommended.”

See Friday’s Kent Messenger for full story