Off work after a cancer diagnosis and with the cost of living crisis starting to bite, Jayne’s found herself struggling to fund her journey’s to hospital appointments.

When Jayne was ten years old her brother passed away after battling a rare form of leukaemia. In the months before he died, the family would regularly visit him in hospital.

“He had been ill for quite a while,” remembers Jayne “and when we went to the hospital I used to love wearing my nurses’ outfit. I looked up to the nurses that cared for my brother and had a lot of respect for them.”

Years later, Jayne qualified as a nurse herself after working for a while as a carer. She works as a bank staff nurse on an ‘as and when’ basis, picking up shifts often at short notice to cover shortfalls in nursing provision.

“I delegate nursing work to colleagues,” says Jayne “assess patients needs and give out medication, my nursing day is quite varied.

“I love being able to help somebody, do something for them. I’m the patients’ advocate and they are my priority.”

At the end of 2022, Jayne was diagnosed with cancer and started on a course of vigorous treatment that meant she was unable to work.

“I don’t drive so I have to use public transport for all my appointments; blood tests, seeing the oncologist, regular reviews” explains Jayne “and with intensive cancer treatment those journeys soon add up. Most of my money goes on public transport.

“With the cost of living crisis I’ve seen food costs rise dramatically for me and my youngest son too. I’ve also got pets, two rabbits and two cats. Even their food is more expensive now!

“I was struggling to pay bills, buy food and get to all my appointments, it was very stressful.”

Jayne contacted Macmillan, the cancer charity, for advice and support and as she was a nurse they put her in touch with Cavell.

The Cavell support team quickly assessed Jayne’s situation and provided funds to help her with living costs.

“I felt a bit strange applying for help,” remembers Jayne “I thought I shouldn’t be in this situation having to get financial support. But I’m very happy that Cavell is there.

“It was absolutely fantastic when the support came through! I wasn’t expecting it and it meant that I could travel to my appointments and not worry about those costs.”

Jayne’s treatment is ongoing but there has been progress with her condition. The cancer treatment is less frequent now and she doesn’t feel as tired.

“I can eat more easily now, at first it was difficult to eat. But I still get exhausted just walking to the shops. A ten minute stroll feels like an hour to me!”

Jayne has considered picking up nursing shifts again but is feeling cautious.

“I’ve thought about returning to shift work,” she says “but my body’s immunity is low due to the cancer treatment so I’m worried about how I’d deal with picking up illnesses at work. So for now I’m keeping myself safe.”

Jayne is grateful for the specialist help available from the Cavell Support team,

“It’s fantastic that there is support like Cavell out there for colleagues, especially like me having to live with cancer. Thank you to Cavell for being there to support me and my colleagues going through tough times.”

And she has a message for supporters too,

“When people give money to a charity like Cavell,” says Jayne “that donation means more than just the money. To someone like me living with cancer, the support means that the financial worry is taken away and I can concentrate on getting better.”

Contact Cavell