CANCER AND FINANCIAL ISSUES: DON’T WORRY IN SILENCE
Money worries affect many people from time to time and your ability to cope with your cancer will not be helped if you are suffering the additional stress of wondering how you will pay your bills. This can place relationships under further strain at a time when solidarity is so important, and probably the worst course of action is to avoid the issue altogether. Both you and your wife or partner and family may be fully aware of potential problems without wanting to voice your fears and fuel an already stressful situation.
The only constructive solution is to talk to those who can help -particularly the social workers at your hospital (if there are none at your hospital, ask your GP for a referral). If you are already experiencing problems paying your bills, do contact the organizations in question and explain your circumstances. It will often be possible to negotiate a solution or compromise, but you will have to take the first step. It may be tempting to ignore your financial commitments in the hope that they will somehow disappear – but this is rarely the case. It may feel particularly harsh, but with some help and your own resolve, reasonable solutions can often be found
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