I feel amazing! Joyous CF survivor’s song hits top 20

A MUSICIAN’s charity song about winning a life-or-death battle with cystic fibrosis thanks to a wonder drug has raced into the top 20.

And the video for Marc Cotterill’s anthem Thousand Years features Daily Express CF columnists and several of the headlines from our campaign.

The song was inspired by Marc, 38, winning compassionate access to life-saving drug Kaftrio from US firm Vertex – previously known as Trikafta – in March.

Before he got it – his lung function was just 32 per cent. But months later it stands at 80 per cent, the first time its been that high since he was 15. The drug will be available on the NHS for 90 per cent of CF patients next month following our crusade. And on Friday, Marc’s joyous charity song was released digitally. At one stage it was 13th in the iTunes download charts – above pop sensation Dua Lipa.

Yesterday Marc, of Stoke, said: “I secured free Kaftrio from Vertex in March as I was so ill, I desperately needed it to save my life.

“I can finally take a deep breath and I feel amazing – so I wanted to put that elation into song. It wrote itself.” Earlier this year the Daily Express also helped secured early access to Kaftrio for a number of other patients with the genetic lung condition.

They have now made miraculous recoveries.

Two of them – Darren Waite, 41, and Nicole Adams, 28 – appear in Marc’s music video which starts with a speech by Express columnist Carlie Pleasant, 30. All proceeds from the song, which can be downloaded from iTunes, will be split between two charities – the CF Trust and the CF Holiday Fund.

To see the video visit www.facebook.com/60797 3401/posts/ 101578458 53683402/

Hit man .... Marc Cotterill with his life-saving drug and, inset above, needing help to breath

Crusade... some of the headlines from the Daily Express campaign that helped secure the use of Kaftrio which are featured in the charity music video