Noel's story
Noel’s partner was diagnosed with a brain tumour and they were left struggling to pay their mortgage and bills…
“My partner, Gail, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in October 2022 and, within 7 days, she had brain surgery which lasted nearly 8 hours. Gail then started treatment and had radiotherapy which meant her recovery time was extended. Her employer very generously paid her sick pay for six months, and along with our savings, we managed to stay on top of the bills during that time. As Gail’s recovery was slow and, knowing that I wasn’t going to be able to pay the bills within a few months, I called Ben as I work for Vospers in the motor trade. I tried all other options before calling as I thought I could sort my finances out myself. I found it really hard as I’ve never been in such a difficult situation before.
“When I made the initial call to Ben, I completely offloaded the whole of the past year and they listened. I didn’t know what I was supposed to be saying but I just gave the advisor my life story and details of our ongoing situation. It was strange to discuss this with someone I’d never met but it was the first time I’d talked through what had happened since the diagnosis. I think the initial call was well over an hour, possibly even 2 hours!
“My Case Manager was very responsive, calming, reassuring and she made me feel heard. I cried for a few hours after the first call as it was the realisation of my situation and what my partner had been through, as well as myself and our daughter. I believe my body was in fight or flight mode and I was doing everything, including working, to hold it all together.
“Ben set to work on fighting for my situation and the support massively helped. Contributions for three months of mortgage payments is lifesaving in itself, as well as the support with food shopping vouchers and my daughter’s school clothing helped relieve the pressure. It’s hard to put into words how much it was a weight off our shoulders.
“We are still taking every day as it comes and learning to adapt so that Gail is as comfortable as possible. Life is a massive gift - being able to live each day, one day at a time, do as much as you can, plan your dreams and make them a reality. I now want us to get married (after being engaged for nearly 20 years) but the challenge of saving funds will now have to start again.”
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