Father accused of giving ill daughter cannabis oil gains thousands of supporters

A father-of-two diagnosed with a brain tumour survived for two years despite being given just weeks to live after his wife gave him illegally purchased drugs in what doctors have described as a “miracle case”. Neil Lanciano, 46, a paint shop manager, from Innsworth, Gloucester, was diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM) three years ago.

Doctors managed to remove 94 per cent of his tumour during an operation at Southmead Hospital in Bristol in May, 2020 – but he was left with partial paralysis and speech difficulties.

Just six weeks later, the 46-year-old’s tumour had returned to its full size and was continuing to grow.

Further scans revealed a scatter of smaller tumours had developed elsewhere on his brain, for which he underwent gruelling radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment to no avail.

Neil’s doctors ceased his NHS treatment – telling him he had just weeks left to live – but wife Hayley Lanciano, 38, refused to give up, saying she “felt compelled” to do something to improve his chances.

She said: “We felt deflated, nothing was working. I felt compelled to take Neil’s diagnosis into my own hands.

“I was desperate to give Neil some kind of quality of life, for his sake and so he could be here a bit longer to watch our teenage daughters, Abbie and Emily, grow up.”

Sadly Mr Lanciona lost his fight for life on November 29 last year, more than two-and-a-half years after he was diagnosed, but playgroup manager Ms Lanciano said she had “no option” but to turn to cannabis oil – which is illegal in the UK due to its THC levels.

She spent £16,000 to buy the drugs online over a two-year period, with Mr Lanciano using two bottles each month.

Surprisingly, a scan in July 2022 showed the small scatter of tumours on his brain had disappeared completely, although the larger growth remained.

Ms Lanciano said: “His healthcare team said Neil was a ‘miracle case’ which they couldn’t explain.

“Neil had no other treatment and the only explanation I can think of is that the combination of cannabis oil and regular exercise played a big and positive part in Neil’s journey.

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“Without our critical illness cover we wouldn’t have financially been able to afford for the £712 month payment for the oil. He used the oil for 24 months and it cost us around £16,000 in total.

“Neil survived more than two years after he stopped all radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment.”

She claims the drugs also alleviated her husband’s suffering and helped him to regain a “quality of life”, regaining the ability to walk.

She added: “This was all new to us. Neil had never smoked or taken drugs.

“It is shocking to me that we were forced into this position, but there was no other option available to give Neil some quality of life and alleviate his suffering.

“The NHS standard of care for brain tumours is not fit for purpose; that is why more research to find a cure is desperately needed.

“The oil made Neil comfortable, and with regular exercise he went from relying on a wheelchair to being able to walk on his own. He seemed to go from strength to strength and was enjoying life once again.

“He was using two bottles a month and stopped only as he was in the final stages of his life.”

Since his diagnosis, the Lanciano family has raised more than £5,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity.

Just 12 percent of people diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years – compared with an average of 54 percent across all cancers.

But historically just one percent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours.

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