At age 80, Mike Soper, a former county cricket chairman, is living proof of the resilience of the human spirit. Diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer at age 55 and told he had just three months to live, he is now marking 25 years beyond that prognosis, a powerful testament to hope, faith, and medical progress.
Soper recalled the sheer shock of being told of his imminent demise shortly after retirement. Yet through a stroke of fortune, drawing upon his cricket connections, a top prostate cancer expert intervened. That treatment extended his lifespan dramatically, and today he continues on a clinical trial for an experimental drug after a resurgence of cancer in 2015. Reflecting on his journey, he expresses boundless gratitude for each extra year granted to him.
For SPUC Soper’s story epitomises the sanctity of life, a life worth fighting for, even when professionals claim the end is near. In recent comments, SPUC reaffirmed its principled opposition to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legalise assisted suicide for those given fewer than six months to live.
In particular, SPUC has raised concerns that such legislation would undermine palliative care, send a chilling message that some lives are less valuable, and put society’s most vulnerable at risk of coercion or diminished support. In SPUC’s view, compassion lies in enhancing life-affirming care, not facilitating state-sanctioned death.
Indeed, Soper’s survival underscores the argument that medical prognoses can be wrong, and time, new treatments, and solidarity can restore both health and hope. It highlights a crucial moral truth: every patient deserves the chance to live fully, and no one should be written off prematurely.
SPUC thus urges lawmakers to pause and reflect. Rather than legalising assisted dying, the priority should be strengthening palliative and mental health services, safeguarding conscience rights of caregivers and hospices, and reinforcing society’s commitment to preserving life in its most vulnerable moments.
In Soper’s words, and in SPUC’s advocacy, we are reminded that life, even against dire odds, is precious, and that the best response to fear and suffering is compassionate care and unwavering hope.
