That day, but then about three days later when I had to go back to the Chest Clinic again for the actual diagnosis and I saw a proper doctor, as I like to put it, she explained what sort of type of cancer it were, which it's small cell. And in most cases that would be inoperable, it's better with chemotherapy. And then I spent some time with a Macmillan Nurse, who actually got me Disability Living Allowance. I mention that because there's a lot of people that get cancer that don't know that they're entitled to it and it's quite a help. You know it's, I know finances are the last thing on your mind but it's enabled me not to worry too much about not working. And it's a benefit that you get whether you're working or not, it's, you know it's not taxable, so whatever you get it's all for you. And like I say, then it didn't particularly bother me, but now I find it a very helpful benefit.
Is that available for anybody?
Anybody that gets a terminal diagnosis, anybody.
And do you mind me asking how much it is?
I think it's about £52 if you don't get the Mobility with it and its £95 if you get the mobility with it as well.
Do you just have to fill in a lot of forms?
No, the Macmillan Nurse did it all for me. And I got it within a couple of months, backdated of course, you know so any, any of the health people, probably if you, because it is a big thing, they just, if they're the medical person and they know your problem they can just skip through a lot of it, whereas we'd be going through trying to fill in every single thing, so it's better probably to get somebody from, your doctor or your support group or hospital to go through and do it for you. |
