PETITION: Change the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) criteria for cancer patients

This is the room where I received my cancer diagnosis. I was sat in the chair on the left next to lamp when they dropped the C-Bomb.

Dear readers. Please take the time to read/sign and SHARE the petition below that my dear mum has created (after a lot of research) to campaign for PIP (Personal Independence Payment) disability benefit in the UK  to assess cancer patients quicker.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION: Change the criteria for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for cancer patients and speed up the actual process of patients to receive PIP while they are incapacitated and in need of extra income

Currently their backlog is ridiculous, I have read about many cases of patients waiting for up to one year to be assessed by PIP. By this time they may already have struggled through surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and all manner of other associated treatments not to mention the psychological trauma of a cancer diagnosis. They may already be through the worst and on the way to recovery so fail the assessment by the time it comes around.

The sheer cost of living with a cancer diagnosis is expensive. Myself and my mum have spent a fortune on extra products to help ease the discomfort, juicers, body products, dental products, electric fan for hot flushes, wigs (the NHS one STILL cost £200 even with the voucher deducted), headscarfs, eating fresh healthy food and much much more, not to mention all the travel costs associated with getting to appointments (which have been two or three a day at some points). Plus all the times my mum has had to jump on a train to come and look after me. I just worked out that if I were to get a taxi there and back to the Royal Sussex for my month of impending radiotherapy sessions, it would cost £280 which I cannot afford. I can only hope I feel okay enough to walk or get public transport nearer the time (which on my worst days of chemo I would not be able to do).

I’m not sharing this to ask for anything, just to highlight the issue. I am lucky in that I have had an amazing support network of my mum, friends and some family to help out but it breaks my heart to think of people going through similar that are alone, in debt, struggling and depressed because of their diagnosis and the huge expense that it brings.

It would be amazing if we could at least try and campaign to get this ridiculous system changed that is clearly failing many so people and possibly a contributing factor as to why 73% of cancer patients are left with depression after.

Please sign and share if you agree x