Faith's story

Three year old Faith, from Thurso in Scotland, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in December 2007. She had a number of surgeries to treat her cancer and is now doing well. Nathalie, her mum, describes the experience of dealing with the financial impact of cancer.

“When Faith was diagnosed with neuroblastoma she was only eight weeks old. She had to have a number of surgeries in Glasgow to remove the tumours in her abdomen. My husband, Steven, and I would drive to Glasgow, which is far from where we live in Thurso, and we’d always need to stay there because you simply can’t make the journey there and back in a single day."

Staying in a home from home

“We simply wouldn’t have been able to get through without Cruachan House, the Home from Home in Glasgow. It meant Steven and I could stay together and be there for Faith. It doesn’t bear thinking about if one of us had to stay at home, miles away from the hospital.

Financial support from CLIC Sargent

“The £200 we received early on from CLIC Sargent was great to keep us ticking over, and our CLIC Sargent Social Worker, Evelyn, helped us work out what benefits and support we were entitled to, as well as assisting us with the forms. You really can’t think straight and things like tackling benefits forms, which you really need to do, is an added stress. But she simplified everything for us, making it easier to deal with.

A holiday with the family

“In April 2011 we were also able to have a free week-long holiday at CLIC Sargent’s Malcolm Sargent House in Prestwick. It was nice to have a chance to get away and spend time just the three of us, as a family away from the hospital – something we hadn’t really been able to do.

CLIC Sargent really is a great charity. The support we’ve received has definitely made things a lot easier for us.”