Financial support for students with cancer

Students with serious illnesses who are forced to suspend their studies while they undergo treatment will now be entitled to more financial support, thanks to a two-and-a-half-year campaign by Ian Leech, whose daughter Melissa was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the age of 20.

A change in benefit law comes into effect in November1, which means that students who suspend their course due to serious illness or disability will be eligible to claim Employment Support Allowance (ESA).

Mr Leech started his campaign when he found that his daughter, who was forced to take time out from her studies at Aston University, was not entitled to claim benefits because she was able to access a student loan which was deemed income. Melissa died in 2008, but Ian continued to battle for a change to the law on behalf of other students with serious illnesses.

Mr Leech says: “It was five months before Melissa finally received any sort of benefit. People told her to give up her course, or use her student loan, but why should students have to use a loan which is meant to fund education, to support them while they recover from a life-threatening illness?

“Mel was treated in Nottingham, 35 miles from home, which meant our petrol bills soared to £100 a week. Were it not for CLIC Sargent, Macmillan and other charities supporting us with grants to meet the extra costs2, we would have been in danger of financial ruin.”

Dara de Burca, Director of Services at CLIC Sargent, says: “This change to benefit law will make a real difference to the lives of students with cancer and other illnesses, and Mr Leech should be really proud of what he has achieved on behalf of his daughter Mel.

“Money may seem unimportant when a child is diagnosed with cancer, but the extra costs that arise can be significant. Our research shows that around eight out of ten families that we support need help claiming benefits, and as many as nine out of ten need financial help.3 That’s why CLIC Sargent provides financial help, as well as emotional, practical and medical support, to help reduce the impact that cancer has on the lives of children, young people and their families.”

CLIC Sargent care professionals provide information and support to families affected by childhood cancer to help them claim available benefits.