Leif Christensen looked at the surgeon over and said that he would like to talk with some others about his treatment options.

"There was a kunstpause, and then I can remember the sound of my thick journal, which was slammed in," says Leif Christensen to B. T.

four years ago he was a completely typical patient with a very common diagnosis in the Danish health care system. A diagnosis, as the health service have a standard procedure for.

But here ends the story of the ordinary patient, Leif Christensen said no thanks to the treatment, and it was to be of crucial importance for his life.

Since the B. T. told of the journalist Arne Notkin, who himself had to take action to get the right diagnosis in the health service, we have received a number of enquiries from readers with similar experiences. Here is Leif Christensen's history.

Leif Christensen had four years ago diagnosed bowel cancer. The doctors had operated on him with an ostomy to follow, but Leif Christensen began to inquire into whether there were not other options for treatment.

"the Operation would have been irrevocable. It would have gone out of my life and my mobility. You can be sure of, it's the end of one's sex life," he says.

the Surgeon seemed, according to Leif Christensen, annoyed that his patient did not accept operation. He referred Leif Christensen to the oncology department, where there was a 14 day waiting period at a time.

"I was relieved and terrified at the same time. It was a strange kind of limbo, for of course I was nervous that the cancer would develop, while I waited, but at the same time, I was also glad I had not said yes to the operation." Restbet

At the oncology department was Leif Christensen greeted by a female consultant physician, who in his own words was 'extremely good'.

He explained to her that he had asked to speak with her, because he wanted to hear what options there were. She could mon help?

It was thought she could.

Leif Christensen tells, that he first got a long and loyal story that you had good experience with surgery, when it came to his type of cancer, and that it therefore gave a really good sense that her colleagues had recommended an operation, but ...

"There was also a good experience with treating my disease with chemotherapy and radiation. In fact, so good experience, that she believed they could cure me."

It thanked Leif Christensen yes to, and he had 28 radiation treatments over the 28 days. Previously, he had been given chemotherapy in tablet form.

He felt nothing for the treatment.

"I was afraid I would be bad and lose the hair, but I could live completely, as I usually do," says Leif Christensen.

And the treatment worked. Leif Christensen was raskmeldt after the 28 radiation treatments.

When he looks back on his trajectory, he is grateful that he explored all other options, before he said, " yes, thanks to the treatment, the doctors started to offer.

But he fears that many others in the same situation do not get the opportunity.