'I'm entitled to a peaceful death, but that's not happening'

Colin Porter has cancer and wants to live out what time he has left with dignity, but claims events are conspiring against him

A man terminally ill with cancer has criticised his landlord, claiming it won’t allow him to die “in peace”. Colin Porter, from Ystrad Rhondda, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 2023 and said a series of recent issues with his housing association, Beacon Cymru, had caused him significant stress.

He described how constant building work directly in front of his home had made him “physically sick”, while he claimed a housing officer’s “misinterpretation” had left him without lifeline financial support he was entitled to.

“I shouldn’t have had to deal with any of this,” the 62-year-old said.

Beacon Cymru said it treated all residents with respect and dignity and that the works being carried out in the road were a requirement of the local authority for the highway to be adopted.

Despite his negative experience at home, Colin praised NHS doctors and staff for providing him with “world-class” care during the most difficult time of his life.

Describing how his diagnosis came about in March, 2023, he said: “I was walking my dog and I fell over. I thought I was having a heart attack if I’m honest so 999. I said: ‘I think I’m having a heart attack,’ so they quickly put me in an ambulance and took me down to the local hospital. They did tests on my heart and they said my heart seems fine, but I said: ‘I actually feel like I’m dying.'”

Colin said that, following additional tests, a consultant arrived and told him the news, that he had AML and was seriously unwell.

They told him he had 45% immature white blood cells. A result of 20% is enough to give the diagnosis, according to international AML foundation, AAMDS. Get the latest Rhondda news first by signing up to our newsletter here

“They rushed me down to a specialist unit at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff,” Colin said. “They got to work on me straight away and they took some bone marrow samples. I had high dose intensity chemotherapy. The first 15 days really were horrific. It was a case of: ‘We don’t know if we’ll get you through this’.

“I went through eight months of chemotherapy and they managed to get [the cancer] small enough that I could have a stem cell bone marrow transplant (in July, 2024). That in itself is one of the most horrific things I have ever experienced; the recovery from it. Luckily enough my brother was my donor.”

Unfortunately, following the procedure Colin continued to show positive for AML. He exhausted everything available on the NHS and his prognosis was poor. However, funding was granted to allow him access to a drug not usually available on the NHS, which had kept his condition stable until April, 2026.

He explained: “I tried everything that was available on the NHS. Every possible tablet, procedure, everything. They managed to get a non-NHS drug called Quizartinib – this drug is very, very expensive and that’s why it’s not available on the NHS.

“Luckily for me, the pharmaceutical company and my local Cwm Taf Health board funded it for a period of two years. It worked in that it stopped the cancer from progressing for 18 months, but it has recently failed and I have relapsed. On April 1, I had my last test. My only option now is to offer myself as a guinea pig.”

Colin is currently exploring clinical trials which may help prolong his life. However, there is no cure and he has been informed that he will likely receive palliative care within the next two years.

Becoming emotional, he praised the NHS – particularly those at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff – for everything they had done for him.

He said: “Professor Keith Wilson and Professor Steven Knaper and their teams of nurses and staff have saved my life three times. I was going to die three times and they saved me. These people are world-class. They save people’s lives every day and to them it’s water off a duck’s back. To the people who they help, it’s a lot more. And they deserve all the recognition that they can get.”

In terms of his health, Colin described his last few years as “really hard” and “relentless” – both mentally and physically.

He said during these times people like him deserved peace and dignity as he was shown by the NHS. However, he felt that need had not been met by his housing association.

“During my recovery period I’ve been getting a lot of bureaucratic rubbish when all I want is a quiet life,” he said. One of those issues stems from “repeated road works” outside his home causing loud noise and vibrations.

Colin claimed: “Outside where I live there have been repeated road works; I’m talking seven or eight times. There’s a problem with the road and my landlord (Beacon Cymru) want it adopted by the council. It’s due to my landlord not ensuring that the work is done properly the first time.

“When they’re working outside my house they’re ripping up the road, ripping up the drain, using heavy plant machinery. It’s constant noise. The whole building shakes to the point that it makes me physically sick.

“I’ve tried to communicate with them in a reasonable manner. It’s almost like they have no idea the obligations surrounding somebody who’s in, for all intents and purposes, in palliative care.”

WalesOnline has seen a letter written on behalf of one of Colin’s doctors, which Colin said he had shown to the housing association. The letter is dated January, 2026, and states: “He needs peace and quiet during the daytime…I would be grateful if you could speak to this gentleman and offer him any support you could to improve his quality of life.”

Colin said: “I have an entitlement to an honourable, respectful and quiet death. I don’t need constant roadworks and disruption to my life. I don’t object to the work being done, but while it’s being done it would be nice if they could put me into a hotel until the work is done.”

Colin said work was still outstanding in May, 2026, while a spokesman for Beacon Cymru confirmed that a contractor had been appointed but a date for that work had not yet been set.

If that wasn’t enough for him to put up with, ex-special forces veteran Colin claimed a recent “misinterpretation” by the housing association saw his DWP benefits briefly stopped, while his local council queried his entitlement to his blue badge (vehicle disability badge).

He claimed: “Because of my illness I’ve had to keep lots of people informed as I go along, whether it’s the council, my landlords, my friends. I get Universal Credit (UC) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). It’s not a lot but I can pay my bills, pay my rent and I can feed and clothe myself.

“We have these tenancy officers (from Beacon Cymru) who come around and see us every now and again. I explained my situation to my officer (in March, 2026) and I told her I needed help, and [they were] very sympathetic, but [they] contacted a few agencies, saying I had cancer, but now I’ve got some sore hands.

“[They] thought that I had cancer, but I’m okay now. As in the past tense. [They] totally misinterpreted the severity of what was wrong with me, as a lot of people do.

“Information is shared and the Department for Work and Pensions [DWP] got wind of this and my payments were stopped for about a month. I explained to the hospital what had gone on and they were gobsmacked. They gave me a massive list of my treatment stating exactly what’s wrong with me and I sent all that off to the DWP. [My Universal Credit was reinstated] and they’ve sent me a letter now saying they’re going to extend my PIP for another year.”

Regarding his blue badge, Colin said: “I had a phone call from the council because I have a blue badge and they wanted to see me about it, even though it still has plenty of time left. They asked me to bring down all these documents, so I did.”

The meeting did not result in his blue badge being taken off him, but Colin said the situation should not have happened and it caused him additional unnecessary stress. And, he said it was not straightforward getting his DWP benefits reinstated.

“Mentally it had a big impact because I had to run around to get all this information to them on time to reinstate it,” he said. “I was without it for about a month before I got my UC back on May 6 and PIP on April 23. To be fair [to the DWP] they backdated me.

“But I [had been] at the job centre literally two, three four days in a row, sending them documentation.”

Colin said he understood why and agreed with the need for strict rules for benefit eligibility, to ensure fairness. However, he said he felt that he was “collateral damage” of that system working.

Not only did the situation see him having to prove himself, it also saw him resort to using credit cards to get by. He said: “Financially, I’m lucky.

“I have a good credit rating so I have a few credit cards. They did take a hammering that month but luckily it is all paid off again now. If I didn’t have all of those credit cards, I dread to think what would happen to me, I really do. I am slowly coming through it and there’s not too many more things I have to deal with now thankfully.”

Colin’s main frustration remained with how he claimed the housing association influenced the issue in the first place, he said.

“The housing association has been aware of my problems. They’ve had my flat adapted so they know I’m in a bad way.

“It makes me feel like banging my head against a wall, I’ve had to sort it out all by myself and it’s been extremely stressful. Recently I’ve been prescribed something, diazepam (for anxiety).”

He claimed: “My landlord has, in my view, completely disregarded my right to live out my remaining time in peace, comfort, and dignity.”

A spokesman for Beacon Cymru said: “Beacon treats all residents with respect and dignity, and we are unable to discuss individual resident issues without their expressed permission.

“The works required to the highway in the area of Ffordd Seren are a requirement of the local authority for the highway to be adopted. A contractor has been appointed but we do not yet have a date for this work to be undertaken.

“A senior member of the housing team is in contact with the resident and will continue to liaise with them.”

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