I want to die having made life easier for others with cancer

Journalist Robert Fisk is fighting incurable bowel cancer. He's also campaigning for NHS mental health care for other sufferers as they battle 'the darkest demons they'll face'... and he needs your support. By Karen Rockett

- By Karen Rockett

Cancer campaigner Robert Fisk is being brutally honest when he says: "I'll probably be dead before any UK government recognises the need to put mental health support at the heart of all medical treatment.

The journalist is fighting incurable bowel cancer and was told just over two years ago he might have as little as five years to live.

"I've written a will," Robert, 45 tells me. "I've visited a natural burial ground to find a nice place under the trees to rot away in an environmentally-friendly box. I've even worked out what songs I want at my funeral and how much it would cost to hire an ice cream van for after the service."

But while Robert's preparations for death are all in place, he still has one more box he wants to tick so he can rest in peace. The ultimate bucket list, albeit not one he will necessarily benefit from.

BATTLE

Earlier this year, Robert launched the Cancer Care campaign to ensure all patients get quick access to mental health support during and after treatment. He aims to reach 10,000 signatures by September to prompt a response from the government and ideally some action. Robert, who has had more than 40 rounds of gruelling chemotherapy, explains: "I know cancer is the toughest ordeal many will face. But it's as much a mental battle as it is physical. We believe the NHS should ensure mental health support.

"So we're calling for funding for Holistic Needs Assessments for all NHS cancer patients."

From his own experience, Robert knows mental health problems are among the most profound complications of living with cancer. These challenges can start at diagnosis, persist during treatment and remain even after the all-clear.

In Robert's case, a colonoscopy in the summer of 2023 discovered a massive tumour in his bowel, described by one of the medical team to him as "sinister".