The mother of a child cancer patient says families are finding it increasingly difficult to access treatment as a result of the cost of living crisis.
Her experience ties in with reports from the Irish Cancer Society, who have witnessed a shocking 60 per cent increase in families applying for their children’s fund, a once off €3000 donation given to families struggling with childhood cancer. Pamela Lee spoke on RTE’s Morning Ireland about her 7-year-old son Caleb, who was diagnosed with leukaemia last year.
The cost of living crisis has made taking her son to appointments at Crumlin Children’s Hospital increasingly difficult, especially as Caleb will need to require regular treatment in the hospital until April 2025.
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Pamela said: “The day he was diagnosed was the day I stopped working so I could care for him. I didn’t realise what was ahead of me. The cost of the parking and the cost of going to and from hospital, as well as the food in the cafeteria, all that was really expensive.”
Averil Power, CEO of the Irish Cancer Society, also spoke on the programme about the financial strain parents of children with cancer face. The charity published a report last year, which revealed it costs families an additional €8000 in the aftermath of their child’s cancer diagnosis.
The estimate takes into account factors such as medication, transport to and from hospital, childcare for other children and accommodation. Averil described the additional costs as an “avalanche” that is likely to worsen due to inflation.
Pamela herself availed of the fund in order to support Caleb but says that families on the grant continue to struggle. She adds that small gestures, such as vouchers for families waiting in the hospital cafeteria, would go a long way in assisting parents of sick children, who are already undergoing significant emotional and mental distress.
She said: “The fund was a massive help and it got us through the winter in terms of bills and food. However, it doesn’t leave you with much extra in order to support yourself. I think there should be extra financial supports for people who have children in the hospital, or if they’re attending the hospital regularly.”
The Irish Cancer Society estimates around 170 people under the age of 16 get a cancer diagnosis each year. The most common forms of childhood cancer include leukaemia- which accounts for almost a third of all child cancer cases- as well as malignant bone tumours and lymphomas.
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