Being diagnosed with cancer is the start of an emotional and psychological journey. But it is also a very expensive one. Lorraine – a young mother – discovered this after she was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 33 weeks pregnant.
Lorraine was 31, newly married, pregnant and had just bought a house with her husband. Then she discovered a lump in her breast – and her world changed. She was diagnosed with stage one aggressive breast cancer. “The news felt surreal. I was frightened and unsure all at the same time,” she recalls. Lorraine was about to start a terrifying journey of being a new mother while also undergoing cancer treatment for eight months. Apart from having to deal with the emotional and psychological impact of this, she was surprised at the unexpected financial cost of cancer. “No matter how good your medical aid is, it’s unlikely to cover all the costs related to oncology. Some of the women I met during my treatment needed further treatment after chemotherapy. This alone can cost up to R400 000. “I was lucky in that most of my treatment and surgeries were covered by my medical aid, but my private care treatments resulted in unexpected co-payments which I had to pay for myself.
Lorraine is currently in remission and under surveillance for the next two years. But, this experience has taught her that while one can never fully prepare for or predict life’s curve-balls; you can ensure that you are covered financially. “None of us like to think that we’ll get sick or become temporarily disabled. I didn’t either. I thought I was young and invincible. But, my journey has taught me that life happens and that I need to be prepared to expect the unexpected – hard as it may be.”
When you are diagnosed with a severe illness such as cancer, money may be the last thing on your mind. The reality is that the financial implications stretch far beyond the cost of the treatment you will need. For instance, you may need a lot of time off work and your normal expenses will still have to be covered. Medical costs that are not covered by your medical aid and which you have to pay out of your own pocket can devastate your finances. “The physical and emotional strain of going through treatment is bad enough as it is. Your key focus should be on your health and getting through treatment – not on how you are going to pay for it all,” says Lorraine.
Although research on gestational breast cancer has prominently highlighted high correlation with delayed parenting, it is being observed among younger women, such as Lorraine. Although a rare condition now, medical experts anticipate seeing more cases of gestational breast cancer in future as more women to choose to have children later in life.
According to the Cancer Association of SA’s (CANSA) Fact Sheet on Breast Cancer, Pregnancy and Breastfeeding, one in 3 000 pregnant women is diagnosed with breast cancer. The condition is the most common type of cancer found during pregnancy; while breastfeeding or within the first year after giving birth. US research shows that when breast cancer is diagnosed in women aged 30 years and younger, between 10 to 20% is detected during pregnancy or within the first year after delivery. Dr Van Zyl, medical adviser at Sanlam, says people need to consider three critical areas of cover:
| Income protection | Dread disease cover | Disability cover |
| Aside from medical aid, this is by far the most important cover to consider, especially if you are self-employed. Income protector benefits have different waiting periods which determine how soon you will be paid out after being diagnosed. This will impact the affordability of the product. The shorter the waiting period, the more expensive the benefit, but then your claim will be paid earlier during the period of disability. | Cancer treatment and associated costs can have a dire effect on your bank balance. This is where dread disease cover offers critical financial assistance by giving you the funds to pay for treatment your medical aid may not cover, such as reconstructive surgery in the event of breast cancer, or expensive biologics used to treat various types of cancer. It also helps by providing for non-medical expenses such as travelling costs to specialists who are often not close by, lodging fees for family and friends, or additional care for your children. | If you have debt liabilities, you should also consider taking disability cover which pays a lump sum if you develop a permanent disability as a result of your illness. Should you want disability cover, a needs analysis will be done taking into account your income and how much existing disability cover you have. |
