‘I got cancer and lost my business. I was forced to beg for scraps'

Telegraph

19-05-2025

When Sharon Plummer, 57, was diagnosed with endometrial cancer at the end of 2023, her income plummeted overnight.
'As a business owner I was managing my own personal training sessions, a private gym and boot camps,' she says.
'When I became unwell it fell apart. I had to have a full hysterectomy to get rid of the cancer, and the recovery was much harder than I expected. I had to close half my business as I was unable to work – especially in such an active industry.'
She received a small amount of interim support for business owners – as well as a grant from cancer charity Macmillan – but it wasn't enough to live on.
'I had to go to the job centre for my employment support allowance,' she says. 'The staff were not equipped to support people in an empathetic way, and I felt as though I was being forced to beg for scraps.
'There was no understanding of the impacts of cancer. And the forms I've had to complete don't ask any relevant questions for cancer sufferers.'
As a renter in Norfolk, Plummer was also worried about losing her home. 'The stress has been unbelievable. I had to put my food on an interest-only credit card. I was eating very little, sometimes just breakfast and a bowl of soup. I barely went out and I was forced to sell my possessions on Vinted to make extra money.
'During winter I only put the heating on for an hour a day to save energy, which really impacted my recovery. I also tried to find extra work selling beauty products online, even though I wasn't well enough. I did anything to keep a roof over my head.'
Although she began to recover physically in the months after her surgery, Plummer says the experience 'destroyed' her confidence. She is now suffering from PTSD, as well as side effects from surgical menopause – including insomnia and exhaustion.
Two years on, Plummer has struggled to regain the business she lost. 'I had lots of hopes and dreams for it, but haven't been able to bounce back.
'Medically, I still can't work more than 20 hours a week and it's really impacted my mental health. I just don't know what my financial future will look like now,' she says.
'People think you get treated for cancer and it's over, but that's far from the reality. You don't get the support you need.'
'I had to survive on charity handouts'
Sadly, Plummer's situation is not uncommon.
Three quarters of people struggle to return to work after receiving treatment, according to a survey completed by 1,230 cancer survivors by grass-roots cancer charity Mission Remission. What's more, 93pc said they continued to suffer from long-term physical and mental health challenges after treatment had ended.
Laura Fulcher, the charity's founder, is calling for ongoing support for cancer survivors, to help them protect their finances during illness and return to work in a suitable capacity when they can.
'I was diagnosed with bowel cancer over 10 years ago, when I was only 29 years old,' she says. 'I had been working as a teacher, and when I became unwell with stomach issues, fatigue and severe pain, doctors thought my symptoms were the result of anxiety.'
By the time Fulcher was finally diagnosed a year after becoming sick, she had left her job because of her ill-health and therefore was not eligible for sick pay. Before long she was struggling to pay for her bills and rent.
'I survived on handouts from charities while I fought for my benefits.
'Because I'd been working in supply teaching on the days I felt well enough prior to the diagnosis, I was not eligible to receive employment support allowance. I had to go on to statutory sick pay first, which was much less.
'At the time, my MP supported me and recognised the issue. I was given more benefits, but the issue is within the system. The process of fighting was incredibly stressful and did nothing to help my recovery.'
Following the long-term health issues caused by the cancer, including bowel scarring that causes chronic pain and obstructions, Fulcher was unable to return to teaching. She's now founded her own charity and supported health-related campaigns, however, she says she is 'hundreds of thousands' worse off.
Mission Remission's survey shows that two thirds of cancer survivors are in a similar position, with 66pc seeing a significant drop in income after treatment. More than half still have a reduced income a decade later.
While some respondents said they were protected by critical illness cover at the time of diagnosis, many didn't have policies that provided the extent of support they needed.
'Even those that get emergency funds often find themselves struggling in the longer-term recovery phase,' says Fulcher.
'I couldn't see a way out'
Carol, 54, from Manchester, was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and experienced the shortcomings of life insurance cover first-hand.
'I'd taken out critical illness cover with my mortgage renewal a few years prior, which was a godsend,' she says. However, it wasn't enough to cover her mortgage in full, and her mum had to step in to prevent her from losing the house.
'I'm a freelance makeup artist, and when I got ill I was already struggling to make back the income I'd lost during the pandemic,' she says. 'I was paying off credit cards every month, so when I got ill my first thought wasn't about getting better, it was all about how I was going to make money.'
She had to undergo two surgeries followed by radiotherapy, which left her with pain, fatigue and severe swelling from lymph node damage.
'I was advised by my healthcare team to forget about work and focus on getting better. But the financial strain was too much.
'The benefits process was so complex and challenging that friends and family had to help me. A family member even had to speak to my mortgage company on my behalf.'
She describes the experience as overwhelming. 'With no income coming in,' she starts, 'I couldn't pay my credit card bills off every month and the debt was racking up.
'It was suffocating me. I couldn't see a way out.'
Eventually, one of her credit card companies referred her to Money Wellness, a support service commissioned by the Government's Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to provide free debt, money and benefit support.
'They helped me put together a debt consolidation plan that saved me,' she says. 'With my critical illness cover, and my mum topping up my mortgage, it meant I was able to just about keep my home.'
However the ongoing financial strain, coupled with her physical recovery challenges have damaged her mental health: 'I'm trying to get back to work now, but because I've been away so long I've lost all my confidence and I'm terrified I won't do a good job.'
According to Sebrina McCullough, director of external relations at Money Wellness, 82pc of the clients it supports with cancer report additional vulnerabilities following their diagnosis – including mental health and related physical conditions.
'Cancer doesn't stop when the chemotherapy or radiotherapy ends. Recovery is often a long and exhausting journey, and for many, the financial pressure only grows.
'When someone receives a terminal diagnosis, creditors will sometimes agree to write off debts. However, we see far less understanding shown to those still living with the after-effects of cancer – whether that's fatigue, pain, mental health concerns or ongoing complications,' McCullough explains .
Fulcher adds that the survey respondents who were in full-time employment at the time of diagnosis sometimes fared better, but it depended on the employer. 'Some people had a positive experience and were supported by their workplace, both in terms of financial aid during their illness and phased returns to work,' she says.
'But that's certainly not the case for everyone. Many reported that they had to survive only on statutory sick pay, which is now only £118.75 a week. Others have reported feeling pressured to return to work while still unwell, which can hinder long term recovery.'
'I had to fight for half-pay while recovering from surgery'
Steve Pointon, 45, from Crewe, experienced a problem employer when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2016.
'At the time I worked for a security firm and was back to work just six weeks after my operation,' he says. 'I'd had to fight to negotiate half-pay during my absence and when I came back it was full-on. There was limited opportunity for flexibility, despite the fact I'd just had major surgery.'
When his cancer returned in 2018, things took a downward turn. 'I had to go to hospital for four five-day admissions for very aggressive immunotherapy treatment, which needed several weeks of recovery each time,' he says. After the initial eight weeks of treatment he was told by his healthcare team he could do 'light work', but this wasn't enough for his employer.
'I received an email in the hospital about when I was coming back. When I returned, I was called into a meeting for a dressing down about not working hard enough. They had me travelling across the UK and going for early and late meetings. I was also told off for not working over the weekends,' Pointon says.
Following the gruelling treatment he was incapable of working the long, stressful hours that his employer demanded. 'I was forced to leave and go on statutory sick pay, so my finances took a huge hit,' he says. 'I took legal action against my employer, which ended up being more stressful than my cancer treatment.'
Although he won the case in 2021 for breach of disability discrimination, constructive dismissal and harassment, he paid a lot of money to get to tribunal, and the emotional burden caused his mental health to decline.
Pointon has since retrained as a mental health counsellor, and now has his own counselling business – as well as working for Action Kidney Cancer and a hospice in Cheshire. While he enjoys his work now, it's been extremely hard to get there.
'There's no support for people to retrain after cancer, so I had to take loans and rely on family to get me through the training,' he says. 'That option isn't available to everyone and it's a really hard path to take. It would be great to see better support for people to retrain after serious illness.'
The shortcomings of cancer support
Fulcher says that she doesn't feel like the Government is listening to these sorts of concerns from cancer survivors. 'That's why we've launched our new campaign, to support the hidden financial toll of cancer.
'We're asking for five key calls to action, which include: tailored psychological support to help people back to work, pausing benefits for five years post treatment so that people don't need to go through complex procedures if they relapse, simplifying and strengthening the financial safety net, training benefits advisors on cancer, and promoting financial preparedness through pensions, critical illness cover and income protection.'
McCullough and the team at Money Wellness support these aims. 'Many cancer sufferers who come to us for help are in midlife, often managing on their own and struggling to make ends meet,' she says.
Like the survey respondents, she argues the benefits system, as it stands, isn't set up to meet the needs of cancer survivors and is too complex and challenging to navigate – especially for someone who is severely unwell.
'Mission Remission's call for urgent reform is one we echo. Cancer may no longer be visible on the outside, but its impact continues; physically, emotionally, and financially.
'We need a more compassionate system that recognises the long-term reality of recovery and offers people a genuine chance to rebuild their lives without fear of falling into poverty.'