Patient reveals devastating cost of brain tumour diagnosis. New report from the Brain Tumour Research charity highlights punishing financial burden - Vicki Hilborn
A patient hit by the devastation of a brain tumour diagnosis has welcomed a new report exposing the punishing financial burden of the disease.
Vicki Hilborn, 26, from Saltash, Cornwall, was diagnosed with a low-grade brain tumour last year. She was forced to surrender her driving licence and had to make an expensive commute to work via ferry, bus and foot. In addition, she faced regular trips to and from hospital appointments and high travel insurance premiums meant that going on holiday to escape it all was a distant dream.
Vicki, who works as a hairdresser in Torpoint, said: "The hardest part about having a brain tumour was losing my licence. I faced a two-hour commute by foot, bus and ferry, a journey which once took 20 minutes in the car. It was such a disabling thing to go through but I was determined to remain as independent as I could. I was very fortunate that, unlike other patients, I didn't have to quit my job. That, on top of losing my licence, would have been unimaginable."
The report Exposing the Financial Impact of Brain Tumours released by the Brain Tumour Research charity on Monday 15th October reveals the financial impact of a brain tumour diagnosis is double that for all cancers. Patients said they suffered a loss of independence and isolation which, combined with a dramatic decline in their earning potential, brought an impact almost as distressing as the disease itself.
The report, based on the experiences of 368 people will be fed into a formal inquiry into the hidden costs of a brain tumour being led by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours for which Brain Tumour Research provides the secretariat. The report found:
An average financial loss of £14,783 per household per year – more than double the £6,840 for all cancers
Households face an annual rise in household bills of £1,000 and many also have to make expensive modifications to their homes
Patients also have to find around £1,582 in travel costs for hospital visits
Suffer a crippling £391 increase in travel insurance making a much-needed holiday a distant dream for many
Sue Farrington Smith, Chief Executive of Brain Tumour Research, said: "The financial penalties, the loss of independence and the consequential feelings of isolation compound the poor prognosis endured by brain tumour patients and this has got to stop."
The charity is calling on the Government to speed up access to better treatments by stimulating further increases in the national investment for research into brain tumours, offset the debilitating loss of income by providing additional benefits and fund easily accessible financial support for patients while they are receiving treatment.
Historically, Just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours