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A woman fighting to change the law in memory of her late husband has secured support from four political parties ahead of the Senedd election on May 7.

Owain James, from Machen, passed away in 2024 with a brain tumour aged just 35, leaving behind wife Ellie James and young daughter Amelia.

Ellie has since been campaigning for Owain’s Law, warning a “hidden postcode lottery” is denying patients access to life-extending treatment.

Plaid Cymru, Reform, the Welsh Conservatives, and the Welsh Liberal Democrats have all expressed support for the campaign ahead of next month’s poll.

Owain’s Law

As part of Owain’s treatment, his tumour tissue needed to be fresh-frozen. However, of the 7cm of Owain’s tumour tissue that was removed, only 1cm of it had been fresh-frozen. This is something Ellie says was not discussed with the family beforehand.

As a result, Owain could only have three vaccines – when he could have had around 30 created had the entire tumour tissue been fresh-frozen.

His tumour regressed, giving the family a renewed optimism, but it came back again, with no more vaccines able to be produced. Owain passed away on June 26, 2024.

Brain cancer is the biggest cancer killer for people under 40, yet as Owain’s family discovered, treatment has barely advanced in decades. He received nearly the same standard of treatment his grandfather had received in the 1990s.

Owain’s Law would require every NHS hospital to freeze suitable brain-tumour tissue the right way, while guaranteeing that the tissue remains the patient’s property under informed consent.

“The UK cannot deliver 21st-century cancer care with 20th-century tumour tissue practices,” said Ellie. “It is your tissue and your life. Paraffin preserves the problem. Freezing is for your future.”

Ellie, who lives in Caerphilly, has set up an online petition calling for Owain’s Law – and is aiming to collect one million signatures supporting the cause. Currently, the petition has more than 46,000 signatures. The target is to reach 100,000 by June 26 – the second anniversary of Owain’s passing.

Her aim of the campaign is to bring about changes to the law in both Wales – where health is devolved – and in England, where she took her campaign to the UK Parliament in January.

“Owain’s life was extended because a tiny fraction of his tumour was frozen,” explained Ellie. “When that tissue ran out, his options ran out with it.

“We were never told we could ask for more to be preserved. That single conversation could have changed everything.

“No one wants a tumour, but if you have one, you should aim to preserve as much of it as possible. It could extend your life.”

Cross-party support

Plaid Cymru and Reform have made explicit manifesto commitments backing Ellie’s campaign.

The Welsh Conservatives have pledged a dedicated cancer treatments fund that includes treatments enabled by frozen tissue, while the Welsh Liberal Democrats have voiced direct support during an event at the Senedd.

Ellie said: “To see parties from across the political spectrum recognising we desperately need to address tissue freezing ahead of this election is something I never imagined when I first started this campaign in Owain’s name.

“It shows this isn’t political, it’s about doing what’s right. Now the question isn’t whether change should happen, but who will deliver it first for patients and families across Wales.”

Ellie’s campaign was strongly supported by Labour’s Hefin David, the late Caerphilly Senedd Member who raised the issue in the Welsh Parliament last July – just a month before his passing.

Caerphilly’s Labour MP Chris Evans has since met with Ellie on a number of occasions, and in January he spoke in support of her campaign in the UK parliament – where it drew cross-party support.