Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CANCER MUM TURNED DOWN FOR BENEFITS
Roisin, 28, heartbroken after being refused payment
A SINGLE mother with stage four cancer has been turned down for a disability benefit.
Roisin Mcwilliams, 28, has struggled to breathe since being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.
The West Belfast woman had to give up her £1,300-amonth job, but now has been refused the Personal Independence Payment.
She said: “To accept I needed help was extremely difficult. To open a letter and read I’ve been refused that help was heartbreaking.”
This is a seriously ill girl. She is deflated & traumatised by it all TOMM C WILLIAMS BE; FAST YESTERDAY
A SINGLE mum fighting for her life against stage four cancer has been denied disability benefit PIP.
Roisin Mcwilliams, 28, spends much of her life in pain after she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma last Christmas.
The talented chef, from West Belfast, had to leave her job as “she couldn’t breathe” and “fractured her rib from severe coughing”.
Roisin applied for PIP (Personal Independent Payment) in April after months of financial support from her family.
She gets £125 Employment Support Allowance, but PIP payments could almost double that amount – taking her closer to the salary she lost.
She said: “I pride myself on being strong and working hard, so to accept I needed help was extremely difficult.
“To open a letter and read I’ve been refused that help was heartbreaking.”
Since her diagnosis Roisin’s life has been an endless stream of chemo, scans, feeling sick and getting more bad news.
And the young mum recently learned she is immune to chemotherapy and needs “very expensive” immune therapy and a stem cell transplant if she is to have any chance of surviving.
TREATMENT
But her consultant must apply for finance for that treatment
Roisin’s dad Tom said the latest blow from PIP has had a “profound effect on her mental health”.
He added: “It took a lot of convincing for us to even ask her to apply.
“They came out and asked the most degrading and humiliating questions.
“Then to be turned down was like saying, ‘You are telling us lies’.
“Anyone with eyes in their head could see this is a seriously ill girl. It’s like kicking a dog when it’s down. She’s deflated and traumatised by it all.”
West Belfast MP Paul Maskey called on the Department for Communities to give Roisin the benefit.
The Sinn Fein politician said: “The decision to refuse this case is horrendous. This young woman has a three-year-old child, is in stage four of her cancer and the chemo isn’t working. We will be fighting this hard.”
A Department for Communities spokesperson said they can’t comment on individual cases but added: “The customer’s representative has been in touch with the department and we will be reviewing the case in light of any additional information provided.
“If a person disagrees with the decision to not award PIP, they can ask for it to be reviewed and we will consider additional information provided.”