An advocate says more supports are needed to help people and families living with cancer.
Today is World Cancer Day.
In 2020, the lives of Tracy Slaney and her family were forever altered when her husband, James Pendergast, was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer.
Slaney says since that time, her husband had needed chemotherapy treatments every two weeks – totalling 150 treatments in the last 5 years, and they need to travel to St. John’s around 100 times per year for cancer-related care.
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She says her husband is going to need those treatments for the rest of his life.
As Slaney explains, the costs associated with travel, medical supplies, and prescriptions have put them $60,000 in debt.
Slaney says that coupled with having a teenager at home and another child in university, has been “overwhelming.”
“We had RRSPs, we had a little nest egg, and we thought we were doing quite well. And now everything is depleted, everything is gone,” she said.
