The parents of children and young people with cancer are struggling to cope with the unexpected cost of caring for a sufferer in Northern Ireland, according to a report released this week.
The News Letter reports: Cancer charity CLIC Sargent describes the additional expense incurred — through travel, food, childcare and accommodation — as having a “major impact” on family finances.
Parents of sufferers in Northern Ireland are struggling just as much as their counterparts in other regions of the UK with an overall 66 per cent reporting borrowing to make ends meet.
The charity’s research has 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 in Belfast which is a principal treatment centre.
In terms of fuel costs, the extra travelling equates to an estimated £370 per month that families have to find to ensure their child receives treatment.
The report — Counting the Costs of Cancer — coincides with the start of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and includes the experiences of 335 young people and the parents or carers of children with cancer.
Parents and young people told CLIC Sargent that they spend on average £367 and £277 respectively on cancer-related expenses every month with treatment lasting up to three years.
More at:
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/parents_feel_stress_of_cancer_care_costs_1_3309347