Dad survives five years after terminal cancer diagnosis, raising doubts over assisted suicide Bill

Matt Eamer, a father-of-two from Surrey, was told in 2020 he had just months to live after being diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer.

Five years later, he is cancer-free — a case that raises serious questions about the reliability of terminal prognoses in light of proposed assisted dying legislation.

Matt’s story comes as the House of Lords looks to debate the Assisted Dying Bill, which would permit terminally ill patients with a prognosis of six months or less to request medical help to end their lives.

“I can still remember the person’s voice… ‘we’re talking months not years from a survival point of view,’” Matt recalled.

At the time, scans showed stage four bowel cancer had spread to his liver and abdomen, and doctors warned standard treatment had failed.

Yet, after receiving a new combination of targeted therapies — Cetuximab and Encorafenib — the disease went into remission within six months.

He continues to be monitored and treated, but lives an active life, working and raising his children.

“Five years with stage four is a rarity,” he said. “It means your ability to be present and focus on what matters is heightened.”

His case illustrates the difficulty of accurately predicting how long someone will live with a terminal illness.

While many patients tragically do not survive advanced cancer, some, like Matt, respond unexpectedly to new treatments.

CARE and other organisations have warned that legalising assisted dying risks patients prematurely ending their lives based on diagnoses that later prove inaccurate.

Matt’s journey highlights the importance of continued investment in palliative care and the dangers of irreversible decisions based on uncertain timelines.