Being diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago was a complete shock. I had no symptoms or family history, and was told I was “young” to be considered at risk. Once the shock settled and I went through treatment, it was as I had expected: scary, painful, confusing and expensive.
But there was one devastating part of my breast cancer experience that I never saw coming: divorce. The day I was diagnosed, I never imagined it would be my marriage that ended up terminal. After all, when the doctor uttered those stomach-churning words, “You have cancer”, I was consoled by the fact I had a loving husband and two children, and we lived in our cosy family home.
I never dreamt that just 18 months later, I would be living alone in a rental apartment, supporting myself and facing two more surgeries after my marriage had irretrievably broken down. Kate Browne survived breast cancer only to confront a terminal marriage and financial hardship. She soon learnt she was far from alone.
Five years later, I’m in remission and my health is good. But I can’t say the same for my finances. A cancer diagnosis can be like dropping a bomb not only into the life of the person affected but the people around them, too.
It’s called the ripple effect and the ongoing costs are labelled “financial toxicity” in the cancer world. But just how far do those ripples travel? And what are the resulting costs? In my role as the head of research at the personal finance brokerage Compare Club, I had .