Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Friday is Daffodil Day, which is perhaps the most iconic and recognised annual fundraising campaign in the world. Cancer does not distinguish between location, age, status or circumstances. Cancer makes its own rules. Sadly, this year, almost 45,000 people will hear the news that they have cancer and their journey will begin. Sadly, that journey will take them down the road of endless hospital and medical appointments. It will also take them down roads with obstacles that only reveal themselves as their journey progresses. Very soon, cancer patients will discover that their illness is not the only challenge they face. They must also contend with the costs associated with their treatment, which can be as high as €1,000 per month. The everyday costs associated with a cancer diagnosis have been raised many times. The financial struggles at a time when a person can be at his or her most vulnerable are a burden he or she should not have to carry.

What is not generally known is that a cancer diagnosis can present a lifelong financial burden for patients long after they have recovered. New research from the Irish Cancer Society has revealed that many people affected by cancer at any time during their lives face being refused financial products, which include both insurance and mortgage protection cover. Even if the adult individual was diagnosed with cancer as a child or teenager, he or she can still face challenges when trying to access financial protection for the future. People who have a cancer diagnosis in their past are three times more likely to have difficulties getting insurance than the general population. They are twice as likely to have problems obtaining a mortgage. It seems that their past diagnosis is being used as a stick to beat them financially. Despite the fact that more and more people are now cancer survivors, they continue to be discriminated against.

The Irish Cancer Society is calling on the Government to implement the right to be forgotten into legislation in order that people do not have to declare a cancer diagnosis five years after recovery. This has been implemented by many other European Union countries. People who have been diagnosed with cancer in the past are simply asking that their future lives are not defined by cancer. They have completed their cancer journey. They have navigated the endless issues that cancer patients face and struggled with the loss of income due to an inability to work. Many do not qualify for a medical card, which subjects them to hospital charges, the cost of travel and parking and many other associated bills. Many have had the pressure and embarrassment of debt collectors arriving at their doors demanding payment for unpaid medical expenses. Their journey with cancer itself may be over. They have been blessed to have survived. Penalising them further is both cruel and heartless. They deserve the right to forget. Will the Tánaiste please enable a Government decision to grant them this right?

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