<prompt> Human: This last month has been a wild ride, but the bottom line is Ive officially been diagnosed with cancer and will be starting chemo treatments on the 18th. Fortunately, the type of cancer is 9937; curable, so theres that... Ive been advised to immediately contact my creditors to ask for payment defermentforbearance, and I read an article saying it cant hurt to go as far as asking for debt forgiveness due to financial hardship, but Im unsure how to proceed. To add to the madness, the contract job Ive had for the last four years was rebid this month, and I didnt get the bid this time around. So, Ill effectively be out of a job July 1st. The upside is this means Ill qualify for my hospitals debt forgiveness program, which could help tremendously with medical costs. But, that said, that also means I wont have a means to make my bill money for the next four months while going through treatment and then for a short period while I recover truthfully, I really dont know what to expect. Is it reasonable to ask creditors for debt forgiveness or deferment when something like this happens? What is the best way to do so? E-mail? A direct call? To who? This is all uncharted water for me, to say the least, and the last thing I want to do is bury myself in not only new medical debut but also interest, non-payment fees, and all the in-betweens associated with my current billscreditors. I could really use some sound advice. Right now, Ive got enough in my checking account to cover next months bills, and Ill also be getting a final paycheck at the end of the month from my contract job, but my dad told me not to pay bills next month probably thinking wed work something out eventually. My bills are mostly credit cards and also a car payment. Things have just happened so quickly between the first scan and the official diagnosis, and now Ive got a little over two weeks to get my affairs in order before Ill be moving back in with my parents during treatment. Assistant: Is it reasonable to ask creditors for debt forgiveness or deferment when something like this happens?YesCall them on whatever number you have, and if you agree anything ask them to send you it in writing they should do anyway, as a matter of course. The persondepartment youll need to ask for depends on who youre calling, but even if you get the wrong person at first they should redirect you easily enough.All your creditors should at least pause your interest, most should pause your payments, and some may forgive part of the debt, due to the circumstances. At the end of the day, theyd rather recover most of the debt later, rather than force you bankrupt: especially if youre dealing with companies at the more reputable end of the scaleHuman: My mom actually mentioned bankruptcy, but it wasnt even something I wanted to consider. I imagine when faced with possible bankruptcy of a client and getting a portion of the debt eventually, creditors would prefer at least a portion.  <response>: They would, especially if you have virtually no assets now.Although if youre going to declare bankruptcy, timing will be everything 