A BRAVE cancer victim who fought back from the brink of death stole the show during a Cabinet minister's visit to the county.

Health secretary Stephen Dorrell cut the first turf to kick-start the building of a new £5 million radiotherapy centre at Royal Preston Hospital.

But 48-year-old Peter Kilshaw of Burnley, upstaged the minister by revealing to VIPs how he bravely battled to beat cancer.

Mr Kilshaw, who works at the hospital, said doctors gave him between three and six months to live after diagnosing cancer a year ago.

He said: "I underwent surgery and had chemotherapy and radiotherapy at Christie Hospital in Manchester.

"The standard of care was excellent but driving to Christie can be a problem when you are unwell.

"I was leaving home at 7.30am working until 3.30pm and having my radiotherapy at 4.30pm.

"We already diagnose cancer here (at Preston) and there is some chemotherapy treatment. When the radiotherapy unit is built it will benefit all patients."

The Lancashire and Lakeland Radiotherapy Unit will enable hundreds of East Lancashire cancer patients to make the shorter trip to Preston for life-saving radiotherapy. Mr Dorrell, who stopped off in Preston on his way to the Tory Party Conference in Blackpool, paid tribute to the work and planning which had gone into the scheme.

He said: "We want to provide radiotherapy as close as is humanly possible to the place where the patient lives.

"This is the first launch project in response to the Calman Report and enormous credit must go to so many people."

The new centre will be up and running by spring 1997. It will operate as a satellite unit of the Christie Hospital, but will have its own consultant staff.

Guests at the ceremony included former Pendle MP John Lee who is now chairman of Christie Hospital NHS Trust.

Health bosses in Blackburn and Burnley have submitted a joint bid to develop cancer services in East Lancashire, which would support the Preston centre.

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