Parents of seriously ill children are urging the Government to give them paid leave while they take time off work to be carers, as they are being forced to “beg” for cash to pay for their treatment.
Helen Duffy’s son, Michael, was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma in June 2021, when he was less than a year old.
Michael spent fourteen months in treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital, during which time, Helen had to stop work to be at his bedside.
“As soon as my son was diagnosed, the world completely fell apart,” she told The i Paper. “I didn’t leave the hospital after diagnosis for at least three weeks. It became completely impossible to work.”
Helen was working two jobs at the time, including a part-time role, which she said kept paying her out of “goodwill”.
