I am anxious to hear from other people over 50 who have had a similar experience to myself and my family with the NHS.

I believe my mother was treated like a second-class patient because of her age.

In July, 1997, my mother, Eileen Webster, 66, contracted a bug while in hospital and her eyelid and cheek became blistered and infested.

We were told this was just a unique adverse reaction to her chemotherapy.

She was discharged in August but it was later decided urgent radiotherapy was needed.

Because the hospital misplaced my mother's file, this urgent treatment did not begin until October.

By November, it became clear the treatment was having no effect and doctors believed her condition to be terminal, although we were never told this.

By this point, my mother had partially lost the sight in her right eye and her upper and lower eyelid was also badly infected by the bug.

She had also become partially deaf and developed septicaemia.

In January, 1998, she was admitted to hospital for a blood transfusion.

Ten days later, she died, incontinent, paralysed and ridden with bedsores.

It was some months later we discovered that a "do not resuscitate" order had been placed on my mother's notes without our consent.

I am about to launch a campaign, called Action For Eileen, which is aimed at preventing what happened to my mother happening to others of her age, particularly when deciding on "do not resuscitate" orders without relatives' consent.

Receiving information from families who have had similar experiences to ours would help considerably. Please write to me enclosing a large stamp-addressed envelope.

-Lisa MacMurdie, Action For Eileen, 143 Albany Park Avenue, Enfield, Middlesex