Childhood cancer drives two thirds of parents into debt

Survey reveals the true cost of cancer for children and young people  

Parents of children with cancer in the UK, including Northern Ireland, are struggling to cope with the unexpected costs of travel, childcare, food and accommodation while their child has treatment. 66% of families are turning to borrowing to make ends meet. The worrying statistic is revealed today by the UK’s leading children and young people’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent. The charity also found that three in four (76%) parents reported there was a major impact on their family finances.

The charity’s research also revealed children with cancer in Northern Ireland travel an average of 95 miles, up to five times a week for hospital treatment at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Belfast; the region’s principal treatment centre1. In terms of fuel costs, this equates to an estimated extra cost of £370 per month that families have to find to ensure their child receives treatment.

CLIC Sargent sought the views of 335 young people with cancer and parents or carers of children with cancer for their report Counting the Costs of Cancer, published today at the start of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (December). Parents and young people told the charity that they spent on average £367 and £277 respectively on cancer-related expenses every month, and with treatment lasting up to three years, the bills soon mounted up.

Many parents are forced to give up work, putting even more pressure on family finances, with three in five (58%) respondents saying they had to reduce the number of hours they worked. Disturbingly, 6% of parents surveyed said they had turned to high interest, short-term payday loans to cope with the additional costs.

Unpaid leave from work, travel costs and care for siblings are some of the additional costs that families face once cancer treatment begins, and CLIC Sargent is concerned that Government reforms will restrict families’ options to financial support through the benefits system.

Mary Ross Swain from Ballykelly in Northern Ireland is mum to 18 year old Michael, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in November 2010. Mary and her husband William were both out of work at the time of Michael’s diagnosis.

Speaking about the extra financial challenges they faced, Mary said; “When we first arrived at the hospital everything was so overwhelming. Then this face appeared in the doorway, it was Laurena our CLIC Sargent Social Worker. She was like an angel and we would have been lost without her.

“At that point all we could think about was if Michael was going to be ok and how we were going to afford all the travelling and extra costs.

“Money was already a concern for us before Michael’s diagnosis. My husband and I were not working at the time and I was caring for my father. So the prospect of lengthy treatment and the extra financial burden was overwhelming.

“Due to my situation, credit was not an option for us. We weren’t able to get loans or credit cards and were worried about the prospect of lengthy repayments. Instead we were forced to borrow from family and we continue to get their support today. I’ve lost track of the amount of extra money we have needed.”

CLIC Sargent provides financial as well as emotional, practical and clinical support, to reduce the impact that cancer has on children, young people and their families. The charity offers every family a grant of £170 within 72 hours to help with the extra costs that can arise after a cancer diagnosis. Further grants are available in some cases, and the charity also provides assistance with benefit applications.

Cecilia Milburn, Partnership Manager at CLIC Sargent in Northern Ireland said: “Everyone is suffering in this economic climate but parents of children with cancer are amongst the hardest hit. The extra costs can be significant. It’s shocking to hear that some families felt driven to debt in order to get through financially’.

“We’re dependent on the generous support of the public and other donors to fund our vital work to support young cancer patients, but the money we raise can only be part of the solution. We want to work with the government and other organisations to find better ways of ensuring young people and children with cancer, and their families, have the financial support they need.”