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'No mum should have to leave her children for cancer treatment'

Gareth McCullough
BBC Nolan Show
Fergal Sherry Fergal and Catherine Sherry sit in the front seat of a car while their three sons sit in the back seat. Catherine is taking a selfie and the family are all smiling at the camera. Sitting in the front passenger seat on the right, Catherine has shoulder-length brown hair and is wearing a light wash denim jacket. Fergal is sat in the driver's seat and has grey hair and is wearing a blue, red, green and yellow plaid shirt. The young boys are all bunched together in the back seat wearing dark clothing and are smiling.Fergal Sherry
The Sherry family took their last holiday together in July 2024

A grieving husband has called for an advanced cancer therapy to be more readily available for patients from Northern Ireland after his wife died while receiving care in London, away from her three sons.

Fergal Sherry's wife Catherine was diagnosed with lymphoma in September 2024 at the age of 42.

She was accepted for CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T-cell therapy but had to travel to King's College Hospital in London, despite the treatment being available in Dublin, just an hour away from her home in Newry, County Down.

"When you are going through cancer treatment you want your family near," he said.

The Department of Health (DoH) said there were no plans for the treatment to be made available as part of the cross-border waiting list reimbursement scheme.

Under the scheme, which came into effect earlier in June, patients who have been on an NHS waiting list for more than two years can pay for procedures in the Republic of Ireland and claim the money back.

Fergal Sherry The Sherry Family all stand and pose for a picture in a room with gold and white balloons at the side. Catherine is stood on the left and is wearing a red, blue and pink leopard print dress and has short, shoulder-length brown hair. Beside her is her eldest son who has a blue shirt on and has short light coloured hair. On the right is Fergal, who has short grey hair and is wearing a shirt collared shirt. At the front are the two youngest sons, who both have medium-length brown hair and are wearing dark framed glasses. All of them are smiling at the camera.Fergal Sherry
Catherine Sherry died while receiving cancer treatment in London

All-island healthcare

Mr Sherry said his wife could not get treatment in Dublin as they were told it was not part of "an all-island approach".

Mrs Sherry received care in Belfast City and Craigavon hospitals, which Mr Sherry said was excellent.

However, he said staff were "annoyed and somewhat even agitated and embarrassed" the treatment his wife needed was not available in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Sherry had to make a number of trips to London, including a clinical review and T-cell harvesting for the therapy.

CAR T-cell therapy takes the patient's own T-cells, modifies them and then reintroduces them back into the blood stream to help fight the cancer.

Mr Sherry said the travelling took a lot out of his wife.

"She used all her reserves of energy and strength to travel for the treatment," he told BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show.

"If we lived in England, Scotland or Wales she would have been treated sooner.

"If we were allowed to go to Dublin she would have been treated sooner."

Mother died in London hospital

Mr Sherry stayed with his wife in London throughout the treatment while their three children were at home.

He said they would speak to Mrs Sherry and play music on the phone.

But the three boys were unable to be with their mother when she died at King's College Hospital London in May.

"I wouldn't wish this on anybody, but we unfortunately found ourselves in these circumstances," Mr Sherry added.

Fergal Sherry The Sherry Family pose for the camera while at Belfast City Hospital. There are two young boys sitting beside Fergal and Catherine Sherry, one is wearing a red gilet and the other a black Manchester United jersey. They both have medium-length light brown hair and are wearing dark, squared framed glasses. Fergal Sherry has greying hair and is wearing a light blue shirt. Catherine is sitting on the right and has short brown hair and is wearing makeup and a yellow, blue and pink floral shirt. Standing behind them is their oldest son, who is wearing a black and dark green North Face gilet. Fergal Sherry
Mr Sherry is calling for more work to be done to ensure the treatment is available to everyone

Mr Sherry said he knew of another person from Northern Ireland who was receiving CAR T-cell treatment in Manchester, but the travelling became too much for them and they were unable to continue.

He said he wants to raise awareness of the issue because his wife did not want any other families to be away from home during treatment.

Mr Sherry added his wife had told him: "No mammy should have to be away from their children."

He has called for a more joined-up approach, as the therapy is available in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic, but not in Northern Ireland.

'No plans' for treatment in NI

In a statement to The Nolan Show, the DoH said the treatments were available "on an equitable basis for people from Northern Ireland".

"The process involves the local clinician making a referral, which is then considered by a national panel of experts who assess which patients are eligible," a spokesperson said.

"There are no plans for this treatment to be made available to people from Northern Ireland as part of the cross border Waiting List Reimbursement Scheme."