ESTHER Rantzen’s daughter has given a heartbreaking health update on her mum’s condition as she lives with terminal lung cancer.
Rebecca Wilcox appeared on tonight’s 5 News and revealed a new medication to improve her condition was not working.
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She told host Julian Druker: “I really wish that was true” but “I don’t think that’s the case anymore.”
Dame Esther, 84, was diagnosed with stage four cancer in 2023 after finding a lump in her armpit.
She is an advocate for making assisted dying legal in the UK and has been considering travelling to Dignitas, in Switzerland, for an assisted death.
However, she said: “The current law means my family could be prosecuted if I go.
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“This is not right and as it is my life, I, like the majority of the public, believe it should be my choice.”
Last year Sir Kier Starmer said he would “definitely” like a vote on assisted dying in parliament within five years as “delay just prolongs the agony”.
Esther previously told the Today programme’s podcast of her condition: “Anything can happen. I live in a forest, a tree can fall on me.
“I’ve got to drop off my perch for some reason, and I’m 83 damn it.
“I should be jolly grateful and indeed am.”
Daughter Rebecca has backed a change in regulation in the UK for assisted dying and addressed the strain it puts on families already going through a horrific time.
She told TalkTV‘s Crosstalk: “The fact is only three people a year get prosecuted. But the actual process of going through a court case at what is the worst time of my life so far.
Vanessa Feltz breaks down in tears live on TV after emotional exchange with Esther Rantzen’s daughter
“I will have to live without her and please, please don’t make it worse for me by accusing me of murdering her and making me go through what would be a terrifying legal process.”
While Rebecca admits she’d want to stop her mum’s plane leaving for Switzerland if she was allowed to end her life on her own terms, she accepts it is ultimately for her to decide.
She told Good Morning Britain: “My mother never makes a decision in complete isolation but doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.
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“Its horrific and she always promised us she would live forever and she is not one to break her promises – but this is her choice.
“I would want to ground her plane if she was going to Zurich but it’s her choice. She is absolutely correct.
“My late father didn’t have a good death. It was horrific. His death replaced our memories of him for a very long time.
“That is what mum wants to avoid.”
WHAT IS LUNG CANCER?
LUNG cancer is the most deadly common cancer in the UK.
It is considered a common cancer alongside prostate, breast and bowel, which together make up more than half of all new cases.
Around 49,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year and 35,000 die from it.
Just one in 10 patients survive for a decade or more after being diagnosed and lung tumours make up 21 per cent of cancer deaths in the UK but only 13 per cent of cases.
The main reason that it is so deadly is that symptoms are not obvious in the early stages.
When signs do appear they may include:
- A cough that lasts three weeks or more, and may hurt
- Repeated chest infections
- Coughing up blood
- Breathlessness
- Unusual tiredness
The NHS does not routinely screen for lung cancer but is rolling out more tests to smokers and ex-smokers at high risk, in a bid to catch it earlier. Testing may involve X-rays and chest CT scans.
Smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer and accounts for about 70 per cent of cases.
Risk may also be higher for people who have inhaled other fumes or toxic substances at work, such as asbestos, coal smoke or silica.
