Calls for Government to help cancer patients as Durham family spends hundreds travelling for treatment
A County Durham family who have spent hundreds of pounds on petrol taking their young daughter to hospital for vital cancer treatment says the Government needs to do more to help other families struggling financially.
Melissa Sayers, from Peterlee, is now backing a campaign by a Cancer Charity to help ease the financial pressure on families dealing with cancer.
Daisy Sayers was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in November 2017 at just 22 months old.
Daisy’s nearest specialist treatment centre is in Newcastle and the family regularly travel the 26 mile journey to hospital for treatment, which can take anything from 40 minutes to an hour and a half.
"“Since Daisy’s diagnosis, we’ve had quite a few trips up to Newcastle for her treatment. It depends on what treatment Daisy needs, what tests she needs or what check-up she needs. She’s been in and out of hospital with quite unexpected stays when she’s suddenly become ill, and she can be in there for up to three days at a time.
“Travel and car parking is one of the biggest expenses. We have two cars, so if I take Daisy to hospital, Chris will come in his car after work - so it’s the cost of both of us getting that. I wouldn’t even want to guess at how much it has cost us - definitely hundreds.”
On average, families of children and young people with cancer face a round trip of 60 miles to get to hospital for treatment, adding up to at least ÂŁ180 a month in petrol costs.
Now CLIC Sargent has launched a petition urging the Government to set up a Young Cancer Patient Travel Fund to help thousands of families afford to get to hospital and back for vital cancer treatment
Melissa continues:
“Our work has been affected as well so our income has gone down and the multiple travelling back and forth on a regular basis - it’s been hell, we’ve been to hell and back. It’s the added expenses that put added stress on the family.
“The majority of families, you get your wages and you live to that much money - you never expect to have to pay for all the extras that come with a cancer diagnosis. The financial impact has been massive on us - it’s something you just never expect but you just have no choice about. There definitely needs to be something out there for families to help with the cost of travel.”
Cancer treatment for young people can take anything from months to over three years, consisting of hundreds of journeys back and forth to the hospital, whether that’s for chemotherapy, routine blood tests or their child falls suddenly ill in the middle of the night and needs urgent medical care. Under the current NHS’s Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme, just 6% of families receive financial support with travel costs.
Kate Lee is the CEO of Clic Sargent:
“Being told that your child has cancer is one of the most horrendous situations that any parent can imagine. No parent should ever have to worry about not having enough money to take their child to hospital for cancer treatment. The current Government travel cost scheme is not fit for purpose and available to too few families. The NHS’ provision of universal healthcare is free at the point of entry yet, in reality families are footing the bill for it.
“On top of what can be years of treatment, countless back and forth to the hospital, there is the constant worry and need to have enough petrol in the tank and make sure the car is roadworthy so the family know they can make it to hospital whenever they need to.
“We know that cancer costs and families are really struggling financially, leaving families counting pennies, relying on charity grants, borrowing money from family and friends, wiping out savings or facing being plunged into debt. This is not good enough and the government needs to set up a Young Cancer Patient Travel Fund so that families can focus on their child, rather than worrying about mounting bills.”
We've contacted the Department of Health, and are waiting for their response