Health Secretary Wes Streeting has spoken of his 'survivor's guilt' following the death of his friend Nathaniel Dye, a music teacher and cancer campaigner who died last week at the age of 40. Mr Streeting, a cancer survivor himself, said the only reason he is alive is because his cancer was caught early, while the NHS failed to diagnose Mr Dye's stage 4 bowel cancer in time.
Mr Dye, known as Nat to friends, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2023 and received an MBE for his campaigning work. He raised funds for Macmillan Cancer Support through challenges including walking from Land's End to John o' Groats and running the London Marathon while playing the trombone. He also introduced Mr Streeting at the 2023 Labour Party conference and spoke at the launch of the party's 2024 election manifesto.
Mr Streeting told the Daily Mirror that he and Mr Dye became friends after Mr Dye approached him as his local MP. 'The NHS had missed the tell-tale signs. He had been kept waiting far too long for tests and scans,' Mr Streeting said. 'As a result of the contrast in our experiences, I'm here talking to you and he died last week. It doesn't get more brutal than that.'
The Health Secretary, who was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2001 after a routine scan, praised Mr Dye's resilience. 'In Nat's case, while living with stage 4 cancer and gruelling treatment, he ran marathons and threw himself into campaigning. He was an amazing man,' Mr Streeting added. He hopes the forthcoming National Cancer Plan will be a lasting legacy to his friend by ensuring fewer cancers are missed.
