Kirsty Ettrick never told her husband that he was dying. "I completely hid it from him. I've never seen anybody so scared as he was getting the cancer diagnosis. He'd always said: 'If anything happens, don't tell me.' So if we went to a new hospital or something, I'd call ahead and say: 'Neil doesn't want to know.'"
Since founding the London Medical Concierge (LMC) earlier this year, Ettrick has met people who respond to illness in all kinds of ways. Some terminally ill patients want to complete a bucket list of experiences, she says, but her husband’s priorities were different. “He was 42 and our children were 2, 4 and 6. Imagine having to look at your three beautiful children knowing you’d never see them grow up.”
The idea that everyone should be treated according to his or her wishes is at the centre of the LMC service. The idea is to connect each patient with a medical expert who specialises in their particular problem, be it heart disease or fertility issues. By sharing her little black book of Harley Street doctors (which took more than a year to compile), Ettrick hopes to spare families the additional distress she went through trying to find the right treatment for her husband.
“It tore my life apart, trying to be there for him and raise the children,” she says. “I was doing everything to try to fix him, researching treatments after he’d gone to bed, talking to doctors in America during the night.”
Neil's first medical team told his wife that they had successfully removed his cancer (the diagnosis was of cholangiocarcinoma, which affects the bile duct). But she wasn't convinced and insisted on a second opinion, which revealed that the disease had spread to his liver. The diagnosis became terminal. "The last thing I said to him was: 'See you later,'" Ettrick recalls. "I'd brought the kids in to see him and, after we left, I got a call to say that his breathing had changed. By the time I got there he was gone, but I knew that I'd done everything to save him."
The idea for LMC arose when friends and acquaintances started asking for her help in finding cancer specialists for their loved ones. “I realised that while I couldn’t save Neil, I could use my experience to help other people,” she says. “Even insurance companies send people to the wrong doctors and it’s time wasted for the patient.”
She began to discuss the idea with doctors, coming up with a list of about 100 clinical specialists in everything from oncology and dermatology to fertility and mental health. Each had a strong track record, credibility among their peers and a good bedside manner. Crucially, she learnt their individual specialisms. “It’s all very well finding an oncologist for breast cancer, but it’s such a complex disease that needs someone who specialises in [your] tumour. Each one has a niche that we’ve put into a database, so that when a patient calls we know exactly who the right doctor is.”
To make the process as smooth as possible, LMC also offers more traditional concierge services, organising airport transfers, accommodation and private nursing care. Its network of specialist translators, butlers and nannies also makes it easy for families to travel from the Middle East.
Ettrick decided to launch her service formally in the UAE because while medical care here is generally good, she had been contacted by a number of patients who wanted a more tailored approach. She says patients have been particularly impressed by the LMC's network of oncologists. "Medical care in the Emirates is generally good, but it can be a one-size-fits-all treatment for cancer. Really, you need to tailor the treatment to the individual tumour – yours might react to drug X and mine to drug Y." Drugs can also be prescribed to lessen the side effects of chemotherapy, such as nausea and hair loss.
Perhaps most importantly, patients are put in control of their own treatment. One client with lymphoma was told he needed stem cell therapy, which is expensive, carries a huge mortality risk and involves a six-week quarantine period during which friends and family cannot visit. He asked LMC to find a doctor who would try chemotherapy first, which they did. "He sailed through chemo, and two months later is in full clinical remission," says Ettrick.
Medical concierges have sprung up around the world over the past few years, helping patients to gain access to top specialists and pioneering treatments they often discover via Dr Google. While these services simplify the process, some families worry that companies may be recommending certain doctors or medical centres based on financial incentives.
Ettrick, however, insists that her main priority is to help people, and the doctors she uses are so sought after that they have no need to push for business. To illustrate the point, she tells the story of a man who called from Abu Dhabi because his wife had a serious brain tumour. He was considering flying her to Mexico for treatment, and LMC arranged a consultation with the top neurologist for this kind of case.
“We did a conference and the consultant said: ‘Do not put your wife on a plane anywhere. There’s no way back from this.’ He was really honest. So I took over – I wasn’t able to help the patient, but I could help her husband, because I can relate to death, and he could call and talk to me about what was happening. At one point he was trying to force-feed her, and I had to explain that she couldn’t swallow, so he was actually hurting her. When she died, he wrote and said that it was ‘the most invaluable thing to have you on the end of the phone to be able to talk through, because you understood’.”
_________________
Read more:
Radical new stem cell procedure helps Dubai patients regain sight
Palestinian born without arms and legs thanks Sheikh Mohammed for new life
Diabetes monitors are getting closer to their iPhone moment
_________________
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Floward%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdulaziz%20Al%20Loughani%20and%20Mohamed%20Al%20Arifi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EE-commerce%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbout%20%24200%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAljazira%20Capital%2C%20Rainwater%20Partners%2C%20STV%20and%20Impact46%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C200%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Scorecard
Scotland 220
K Coetzer 95, J Siddique 3-49, R Mustafa 3-35
UAE 224-3 in 43,5 overs
C Suri 67, B Hameed 63 not out
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
Mountain%20Boy
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zainab%20Shaheen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Naser%20Al%20Messabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
