When we talk about cancer, we talk about diagnosis, treatment, survival rates and recovery, but there is another side to cancer that often goes unseen – the financial cost of living through it.
♨️It is the extra heating because your body struggles to keep warm.
🚗The petrol, parking and public transport costs of travelling to endless hospital appointments.
🥪The food and drinks you need when you’re away from home for hours.
💊The prescriptions, supplements and other essentials that may not be covered.
🏠The household bills that keep coming, even when you’re too unwell to work.
💶The loss of income, reduced working hours, or a family member having to take time off to care for you.
Then there are the costs that come after treatment, the ongoing appointments, the long term side effects, the medications and the everyday adjustments needed to live with the consequences of cancer. Cancer doesn’t just affect your health, it can affect your savings, your independence, your family and your sense of security.
As someone living after a cancer diagnosis, I know that the end of treatment doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the costs.
Nobody should have to worry about whether they can afford to stay warm, travel to treatment or pay their bills while dealing with cancer.
We need to talk more openly about financial toxicity and recognise that the true cost of cancer goes far beyond the hospital walls.
