A heartbroken Scots dad fears his children will not be able to attend their mother's funeral due to travel costs amid the cost of living crisis.
Stuart Chesmar, 50, from the Isle of Bute, and his beloved partner Emma Carpenter had been together for 10 years before she sadly died on September 29 from terminal cancer at the age of 44.
One of Emma's dying wishes was to be buried in her former hometown of Newark-on-Trent in England. With her burial taking place next week, the family has been plunged into uncertainty about whether they can attend or not as travel costs are estimated to come in at around £300 for the 614-mile round journey.
Stuart, who was Emma's full-time carer, said: "On her last scan which was on her birthday in June, we were told she had 12 weeks left with us.
"Unfortunately, once it hit stage four, there wasn't much that they could do."
"Emma wanted to be buried in Newark, her family and a lot of her friends are there. In total, it would cost around £300 including fuels, boat fares and hotels."
The couple's son, Charlie, six, is suffering from hypoplastic left heart syndrome - a birth defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart. His condition means it is hard for his body temperature to remain stabilised, often leaving him cold when temperatures are fairly warm.
Stuart is also a full-time carer for Charlie, but only received carer's allowance benefit for looking after him and not Emma. He added: "It didn't scratch the surface.
"I got £69 a week, which doesn't even cover food, never mind bills. My gas and electricity bills were a lot higher this month due to Charlie's condition. His temperature doesn't stabilise very well so I've had to keep the heating on for him, even in the summer he gets cold.
"I know they have capped the bills but with Charlie, we end up paying more anyway. Emma being kept at home also meant she had her hospital bed in the house with an air mattress always functioning. The bills really mounted up.
"The bills really wiped us out. When somebody passes away, things should be easy but they've not been. With the cost of living, it has added another stress to an already difficult situation."
The mum-of-two was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2019 and bravely underwent grueling rounds of chemo and radiotherapy to rid her of the tumour. Although never fully in remission, the couple were told in February 2020 that it had stopped growing.
But Emma was given the devastating news on her birthday in June that the tumour was again growing and she only had 12 weeks left to live. Following her passing last month, Stuart paid tribute to Emma, describing her as a brilliant parent to Kitty, 15, and Charlie.
Stuart added: "Emma was so popular and so loved. She was a great mum and so full of colour and energy. I already miss her so dearly."
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