Mum’s vow to help families of youngsters with cancer

Research shows that children with cancer have to travel twice as far, and spend twice as much as adult sufferers.

Maryport mum, Judith Irving, is backing a campaign run by CLIC Sargent.

Judith’s daughter Gabrielle was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2014. Judith was forced to give her daughter chemotherapy at home because of how expensive driving eight-year-old Gabrielle to Newcastle from Maryport became.

“The journey from our home in west Cumbria to Newcastle meant a 180-mile round trip every time”, Judith said.

“It completely wiped out our savings. It was then that the nurses trained me how to give chemo at home. Having a child with cancer is utterly heartbreaking, but the financial strain is something that can, and should, be taken away.”

The campaign is urging the Government to create a Young Cancer Patient Travel Fund to help thousands of families with the cost of driving their child to and from hospitals, which are on average 60 miles away from their home. Childhood cancers require specialist treatment, which is only available at a small number of centres across the UK. Cancer treatment for young people can take anything from months to many years, again adding to the cost for families travelling far for their child’s treatment.

Kate Lee, chief executive of CLIC Sargent, said: “We know that cancer costs, and families are left counting pennies, borrowing money, wiping out savings or facing debt. This is not good enough, and the Government needs to set up a Young Cancer Patient Fund so that families can focus on their child, rather than worrying about mounting bills.”

One family is travelling more than 800 miles to get the specialist treatment required for their child with cancer, which illustrates why Judith and CLIC Sargent are passionate about establishing a Young Cancer Patient Travel Fund. Anyone who wishes to sign CLIC Sargent’s petition can do so at www.clic sargent.org.uk/ccam