Widow calls for law change after husband's brain tumour death

A GRIEVING widow is calling for the law to change to end a postcode lottery of care for brain cancer patients.

- ELLA PICKOVER

Owain James on his wedding day with wife Ellie and, below left, with daughter Amelia

Ellie James' husband, Owain, died in 2024 from a type of brain tumour known as a glioblastoma.

His death followed difficulties accessing personalised treatment because most of his tumour, removed during brain surgery, was not frozen.

Mrs James is heading a campaign calling for patients to have the right to have their tissue frozen and stored after surgery, enabling access to personalised treatments and genetic tests.

The 36-year-old, from Caerphilly, said this is done "inconsistently" across the NHS, creating a postcode lottery of care.

She is calling for a change in the law, dubbed Owain's Law, which would let patients give consent about what happens to their tissue.

Mrs James said she believes her husband would still be alive had the law been in place when he was receiving treatment.

Speaking at a Westminster Hall debate yesterday, UK health minister Ashley Dalton committed to "further exploring the current arrangements for freezing tissues and the options for change, particularly for brain tumour tissues".