N.B. cancer survivor headed to Ottawa to talk financial hardships of diagnosis

A New Brunswick cancer survivor is heading to Parliament Hill to advocate for policy changes to make cancer care more affordable for Canadians.

Between the cost of drugs, access to caregivers and unpaid sick leave, a cancer diagnosis can come with sticker shock.

Isabelle Allain-Labelle of Bouctouche, N.B., knows this all too well. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in 2019, and at the time, the financial implications were the last thing on her mind.

“I started treatment right away. I said I’ll do anything it takes. All I could think of was whether I would be there for my son,” she said.

Going through treatment was very difficult and took a physical toll on her in many ways. Still, she counts herself as one of the lucky ones because her job covered the costs of medications.

“Medications that prevent recurrence like the ones I’m taking now are very costly, so it’s important that New Brunswickers have coverage and that’s not the case for everyone right now,” she said.

That’s what compelled her to head to Ottawa next week, as part of a summit organized by the Canadian Cancer Society, to speak to policymakers about the hidden costs of cancer diagnosis.

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According to the society, nearly half of Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, which prompted it to call on government to make cancer care more accessible.

Allain-Labelle will be joining other patient advocates from across the country, who will be sharing their personal stories.

“We have several advocacy priorities, most of which centre around the patient experience,” said Dylan Buskermolen, a cancer survivor and advocacy specialist with the Canadian Cancer Society.

“(Those priorities include) making sure that health services are accessible and affordable for people across the country — implementing things such as a caregiver tax credit for folks in need.”

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Allain-Labelle has already met with New Brunswick MLAs in the past to discuss patient concerns, including the issue of sick leave at work.

Currently, New Brunswick’s employment act only requires employers to provide employees with up to five days of unpaid sick leave per year.

“Five days is not enough for sure and like I said, I was in treatments for a year and a half and then I had to take an oral medication that gave me debilitating fatigue for a year after that,” Allain-Labelle said.

She plans on continuing her advocacy after returning from Ottawa.

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— with a file from Global News’ Rebecca Lau