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Lung CancerArrow
Aged 51-60
Interview LC18  

Interview LC18

Age at Interview: 55
Sex: Male
Age at Diagnosis: 54
Background: Engineer- welder (retired), married, 3 children.
Brief outline:Diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2002. Had a pleurodesis operation in February 2002, followed by radiotherapy (to relieve symptoms) in April and October 2002 (died July 2003).


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Says that once he obtained his benefits and a car via a charity for virtually nothing the financial situation became easier.

 



What benefits can you end up with if you're lucky enough to get through the system?

You can get Incapacity Benefit, Disabled Benefit, I get an Industrial Injuries benefit. And the other things, I mean there is good out there, once you've got the system and you're into the system you can get your; I got a Mobility car which is a godsend to me. Mobility there's a charitable organisation [Motability] that actually get you a car for virtually free but it gives you so much freedom, and all you have to pay for is the petrol in the car.

Does the government organise that?

No, that's a charity, mobility [Motability] is a registered charity but they are, but you have to get certain benefits, invalidity benefit before you can get that, but then you can also get the little blue sticker for the window of your car, to help you with parking and stuff like that. So once you get there it's fine, you get enough to live on and you get a car and you get free parking. So once you get, beat the system it's brilliant. But it's getting there and it takes months and of course you're in so much debt at the end of it that you really use all your benefit paying the debts off. Its fine if you've been very clever and put a few thousand pounds by, but if like us we live week by week then it was, it was an absolute trauma.
Karol Sikora - Lung cancer
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