THE family of kidney cancer patient Andy Crabb plans to help other patients by setting up a charity in his memory.

Mr Crabb, 50, a builder from Abingdon, who died on October 3 from the disease, was one of the leading campaigners to get the life-extending drug Sunitinib prescribed on the NHS.

In November last year, the father-of-three from Crosslands Drive was told his third appeal to be given the drug on the NHS had been successful. He had been among 25 kidney cancer patients in Oxfordshire denied funding for the drug because it was deemed too expensive.

Mr Crabb died hours after the birth of his tenth grandchild. His family believes he clung on to life until he got the news of the birth. The family plans to set up a charity in his name to help kidney cancer patients when they are first diagnosed. Mr Crabb’s daughter, Tracy Groom, said she would be seeking advice from Kate Spall, who set up a similar charitable fund in Wales following the death of her mother, Pamela Northcott, from kidney cancer in 2007.

Mrs Groom, 38, of Sutton Courtenay, said: “The family would like to set up a charity in dad’s memory, which would provide financial support to kidney cancer sufferers when they are first diagnosed. That’s the most critical time for people because they are in shock — it’s an absolute nightmare, and a charity might be able to take some of the stress away.

“It’s too early to talk about fundraising targets, but I am currently talking to the Charity Commission about who we could help, and how to go about setting up the charity.”

More than 500 people attended Mr Crabb’s funeral in Abingdon last month and Mr Crabb’s widow, Dianne, has thanked people for their support.

When Mr Crabb was told that he would have to pay £3,300 every six weeks for Sunitinib, people in the town held a series of fundraising events to help with the cost.

Mrs Crabb said: “I would like to thank all our wonderful friends and family that have helped us fight for Andy’s life, and for the treatment he so rightly deserved — and all the other new friends who also helped with the fundraising to help pay for treatment, and made the last two years memorable and wonderful.”

She also thanked Dr Valentine Macaulay and colleagues at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford, and Mrs Spall from the Pamela Northcott Fund, who campaigned on the family’s behalf.

And she praised the Friends of Renal Oncology Group (Frog) for their “fantastic work and support”, and staff at Sobell House hospice, Oxford, who cared for her husband.

Clive Stone, a spokesman for the Friends of Renal Oncology group, said: “I would welcome this. Anything that raises the profile of kidney cancer sufferers has to be a good thing.

“The UK does not compare well with other European countries when it comes to five-year cancer survival rates, and we need to keep this issue in the public eye.”