PM promises meeting about brain cancer fight
Family HandoutThe prime minister has written to the family of a boy who died from brain cancer promising to raise further awareness of the condition with the health department.
Max Hall, 14, from Corby, was diagnosed with an "incurable" brain tumour last year and died in August.
Lee Barron, Labour MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire, raised the subject of Max's death in parliament and called on ministers to meet his family and other organisations.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has now written to Max's family to say he will arrange a meeting with a health minister, saying: "Your experience is a powerful reminder of why we must never give up the fight against all forms of cancer."
Earlier this month, Burnham paid tribute to Max, saying the teenager's death was "devastating news".
A post on a Facebook page set up to support the family, stated the prime minister had agreed a health minister would meet with the family next month.
A letter from Burnham's office stated: "I have promised your MP Lee Barron that we will arrange for you to meet a health minister as soon as you are ready.
"We will continue to invest in new research and trials, to discover innovative new treatments so that fewer families have to endure the same heartbreak."
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Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of the teenager in August, including Max's mum Jackie, dad Stephen and siblings George and Hope.
The Facebook support page said the family hoped to sit with a health department minister to "talk about the things that matter so much to us - making sure brain cancer is given the attention it deserves, that research is properly prioritised, and that more treatment options and clinical trials can become possible for families facing this devastating disease".
It added: "One meeting won't change everything overnight.
"But this is a door opening, and we intend to walk through it carrying Max's name, his story and his legacy with us."
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