AN arduous 30 mile journey which some cancer sufferers have to endure daily was taken by Stevenage’s MP to better understand challenges the seriously ill face in Comet country.

Stephen McPartland, The Comet’s partner in our campaign for a satellite radiotherapy unit at Lister Hospital, Stevenage, travelled for over an hour to the nearest radiotherapy unit in Mount Vernon Hospital, Middlesex.

He said: “Its obviously a very difficult journey, one of the things I did hear from the clinicians was ever day you lose treatment you lose your care rate by two per cent.

“Cancer is a very serious illness, it’s very tiring and it’s difficult not only for the patient but for the family.

“It’s along way when you’re not very well, it can’t be good for you.”

Mr McPartland drove to the hospital but many seriously ill people have to take a shuttle bus which can take almost a whole day to get there and back- for a treatment that lasts minutes.

A journey he will take in the new year.

Mr McPartland’s plans for a satellite treatment centre in Stevenage are for two linear accelerators, the devices used to administer radiotherapy, to be installed at Lister Hospital.

Patients will then travel to Mount Vernon once and specialists will calculate a personalised treatment which will be administered in Stevenage.

But to make this a reality we need your help we have so far collected 1305 signatures and Mr Mcpartland’s Facebook page has attracted 1286 supporters.

Which takes us to a grand total of 2591.

“We need to keep it going and keep it going forward” said Mr McPartland.

To show your support click the link at the top right of this page.