The middle-aged cancer patients forced to borrow cash from parents

THOUSANDS of middleaged cancer patients are having to borrow money from their parents to make ends meet, experts have warned.

A report by Macmillan Cancer Support estimates 30,000 people with cancer in their 40s and 50s have sought help from their elderly parents.

And more than 2,000 have been forced to move in with their parents after being forced to sell their house.

The charity says the loss of income because patients are too unwell to work can be devastating. In many cases a cancer patient’s husband or wife also has to give up work to care for them.

Macmillan’s report, No Small Change, says cancer patients lose an average of £570 a month in lost income and increased expenditure, such as the cost of travel to and from hospital appointments.

Some 700,000 people with cancer do not have significant savings to fall back on, the charity estimates.

Macmillan chief executive Lynda Thomas said: ‘ It is heart-breaking that people in their 40s and 50s with cancer might have to go cap in hand to their parents to ask for money simply to keep a roof over their head or put food on the table. The cost of cancer is leaving people embarrassed, ashamed and dependent.

‘ Borrowing money could cause tension among families at a time when people need support more than ever.

‘While Macmillan is here for anyone facing money worries, we also need the Government, healthcare professionals and the banking and insurance sector to play their part to ease this burden.’ Terry White, from Nottinghamshire, was 56 when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The father of five lost his job and despite having savings, he was soon struggling financially.

His critical illness insurance would not pay out and he was entitled to only £72.40 per week in benefits.

‘Life before cancer had been comfortable,’ Mr White said.

‘I’d worked hard and saved hard but six months into an eight-month chemo regime our savings had dwindled to nothing and our finances had spi- ralled out of control. I had to claim benefits for the first time in my life, with the threat of our home being repossessed hanging over us.

‘It got so bad that I had to borrow £2,000 from my 78-yearold parents.

‘It was deeply embarrassing that at this time in my life I was going cap in hand to ask for their support.’

Mr White was forced to sell his five- bedroom detached house and had to move into a two-bed terrace – and had to ask his two youngest sons to move out.

He said: ‘I was told I needed to eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables to fight the cancer, but we couldn’t afford it. I could barely afford the TV licence or keep the car going.’

A Government spokesman said: ‘ Cancer can affect all areas of a person’s life and we have worked closely with cancer charities to ensure patients get all the support they need, including through our benefits system.

‘Last year we announced that by 2020 everyone diagnosed with cancer in England will benefit from an individually tailored recovery package developed by Macmillan Cancer Support, which helps ensure patients get rehabilitation, work and financial support services.’

‘Ashamed and dependent’