Nigel’s Story

How cancer brought unexpected financial stress to our family

When my daughter, Lucy, was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of 10, our world stopped. We are a typical family – two working parents with insurance, savings, and a relatively stable financial situation. But we never anticipated the financial impact that cancer would have on our lives.

I always assumed that being insured meant we were covered for every aspect of medical care. After all, we had a comprehensive plan through my employer. But as the hospital stays, treatments and specialist appointments began to pile up, so did the expenses. Suddenly, we were facing bills for things we never expected – transport to and from the hospital, time off work, and even extra childcare for our other kids while we focused on Lucy’s treatment.

I quickly realised that while our health insurance covered the medical bills, it didn’t cover the “extras” – the things that made Lucy’s treatment bearable. We needed to buy special food because of her weakened immune system and our home had to be modified to reduce the risk of infection. Then there were the non-stop trips to the hospital, often several times a week, and the days off work that seemed to stretch on indefinitely.

As a father, I wanted to be there for every step of Lucy’s journey, but the financial stress started to take a toll on us. My wife, Hannah, and I took turns reducing our hours at work. While her employer was somewhat flexible, mine wasn’t, and we started to lose income. We had a savings account, but it dwindled faster than we ever could have imagined. We even found ourselves relying on family and friends just to get by.

The hardest part was realising that, in the middle of a life-threatening illness, we were spending more time worrying about our finances than we were focusing on Lucy. Cancer is terrifying enough – but adding financial stress on top of it made things unbearable at times. It was as though every decision had a price tag attached to it.

Looking back, I wish we had been better prepared financially. Products like Inqus offer a cash payout upon diagnosis, something that could have made all the difference for us. If we had that kind of financial protection, we wouldn’t have had to choose between being by Lucy’s side and paying the bills. We could have used the payout to cover time off work, transportation, and even make our home safer for her recovery.

Having that kind of financial security would have allowed us to focus on what really mattered – Lucy’s recovery and spending time together as a family. We are glad Lucy recovered well and she gets to be the happy child she is in good health.

It’s something I urge every family to think about. Cancer doesn’t just affect the person diagnosed – it affects the whole family, and the costs can quickly spiral out of control. Having financial protection like Inqus could be the key to reducing some of that burden.

This is a true story with names changed for privacy. If you or someone you know has experienced something similar, we encourage you to share your story and help others prepare for the unexpected.