Chris's story

Chris is a single parent from Staffordshire. He has the custody of his two children.  His son Liam, age 13, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia on Christmas Eve 2004. Chris lost his job when he told his employer that his son had cancer.

Diagnosis

Chris says: “Liam had been very ill for five months before he was diagnosed and it was a nightmare trying to get someone to believe me that there was something wrong. And then on Christmas Eve our world came tumbling down around us when we were told Liam had leukaemia."

Employment

“Just before Liam was diagnosed I went through a very difficult divorce where I had quite a battle to gain full custody of my two children. I changed jobs so that I could spend more time with my children as I had been working shifts. I started a new job at a packing manufactures just six months before Liam was diagnosed. When I told my employer that Liam was ill he said that he was very sorry to hear about Liam but that he still had a business to run and was not a charity. I left with no job and a £500 payoff cheque."

Financial struggle

“No one else wanted to employ me – my priority was always Liam and it meant I was never able to commit to a new job. Financially it has been such a struggle. I get £48 a week in Carers Allowance but with two children and having a three hour round trip to Liverpool for Liam’s treatment, sometimes as much as four times a week, it is just not enough.  “I don’t think anyone realises just how difficult it is to split your life between a hospital and your home. When your child has cancer you feel like the rest of the world should come to a stand still but it doesn’t. ”

Liam is still undergoing treatment. He will be receiving chemotherapy until 2009.