The Right to Be Forgotten legislation is progress, but its scope is specific: it relates to mortgage protection insurance for a principal private residence, subject to eligibility criteria, including five years in complete remission and a cover limit of €650,000, but it does not remove every financial barrier faced by people affected by cancer.
Financial toxicity is one of the lasting, often invisible consequences of a cancer diagnosis. It is the loss of income, the additional costs of travelling to appointments, parking, medication, nutritional supplements and ongoing care. It is the long term effects of treatment that can affect our ability to return to work, earn a living or plan for the future. It is the financial uncertainty that can follow us for years, even when we are fortunate enough to hear the words no evidence of disease.
