A YORK woman with cystic fibrosis who helped lead a successful national campaign for a new CF drug treatment to be made available on the NHS has revealed how it has transformed her life.

Lynsey Beswick, 38, said that since she started taking Kaftrio nine months ago, her lung function had improved so much that she no longer needed to consider a lung transplant.

“It’s been life-changing,” she said. “I no longer have a persistent cough. I used to have two weeks of intravenous antibiotics every month or two and go into hospital. Since I started Kaftrio, I’ve not needed any hospital care.

“I feel better than I have in years.”

She said she had been shielding for coming up to a year now, isolated from many of her family and friends, and she was really looking forward to seeing them again and ‘starting an exciting new chapter in my life.’

Lynsey, of Thorganby, who is the public affairs manager for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, took its campaign right to the top in recent years, meeting ministers including former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and current Health Secretary Matt Hancock in Westminster.

She said it was one of the “proudest moments in my life” to have been directly involved in such a campaign, which would mean thousands of lives being saved and give many people like her hope for a “brighter, healthier” future.

“It was also great to see support for the campaign from local MPs Julian Sturdy and Rachael Maskell and the wider community over a five year battle for these drugs,” she added.

York Outer MP Julian Sturdy said that given the terrible impact of cystic fibrosis on Lynsey’s life, it was “wonderful” to hear the new drugs had had such a transformative impact on her health.

“Lynsey has defied her condition to be a tireless and inspirational campaigner for cystic fibrosis patients in York and nationwide, and it has been a privilege to assist her,” he said.

“Having myself lobbied the Department of Health and the drug manufacturer Vertex, I was delighted to see the authorisation of Orkambi for use in October 2019 and Kaftrio in June 2020. However, credit overwhelmingly belongs to Lynsey and her fellow campaigners, and it is fantastic that she and other patients can now lead safer and more normal lives.”

York Central MP Rachael Maskell said that Lynsey had been “tireless” in her work with MPs and Ministers to seek the approval of a new generation of drug therapies for people with cystic fibrosis.

“Her work has not only provided real hope to the 10,000 people living with CF, but is enabling them to have a far higher quality of life,” she said.

“To hear that Lynsey has also benefitted from Kaftrio, one of the latest treatments to be approved, is phenomenal and I trust serves as an inspiration to many, how people with different lived experiences can bring real change that has a transformative impact on their and others lives.

“This is society at its very best, and I wish Lynsey good health for years to come.”

l For more information about the work of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, go to www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk/