Cystic fibrosis treatment Kaftrio 'a lifeline'

Jade Billingham said she had spent many of her birthdays and Christmases in hospital

A woman who has had cystic fibrosis since the age of five says a new NHS treatment is a "lifeline".

Jade Billingham, 29, from Aldridge, in the West Midlands, has been in and out of hospital and feared she would not see her 30th birthday in November.

But just two months after starting Kaftrio, she said she felt more energetic and her life had changed.

"I'm so thankful that this drug has become available because it has given me a new lifeline," she said.

Cystic fibrosis causes a build-up of thick, sticky mucus in the lungs, digestive system and other organs.

Jade was diagnosed when she was five years old

There is currently no cure for the inherited condition and it can be fatal if it leads to a serious infection or the lungs stop working properly.

The NHS announced in June that Kaftrio would be made available after a reaching a deal with a pharmaceutical company.

Dr Joanne Whitehouse, from Heartlands Hospital, where Ms Billingham is treated, said the new drug improved lung function.

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She said it "equals an improvement in survival", as well as enabling weight gain and reducing the frequency of infection in patients.

Ms Billingham said her condition had previously meant she had little energy, struggled to walk her dog and was sometimes sick from other medication.

"Before taking Kaftrio... I was actually in hospital more than I was out, which was also affecting me mentally."

At one time not expecting to see her 30th birthday in November, Ms Billingham said she now had a chance to celebrate the milestone "cough free" and to live into her 30s "happy and well".

She said she was now looking forward to being "happy and well"