A Step Forward Still Leaves Some Behind
- dellanienash9
- Feb 8
- 2 min read
I read in the recent news about the government’s new plans to cover travel costs for families with children undergoing cancer treatment.
On the surface, it does feel like a step in the right direction. Any acknowledgement that families like ours exist is something! But as with so many announcements, the detail matters — and at the moment, much of that detail is still missing.
The scheme doesn’t yet have clear information publicly confirmed: no start date, no application process, no clarity around reimbursement limits. Even the charities supporting families like ours are still waiting for more guidance on how it will actually work in real life.
Maya travelled to GOSH once, on her admission back in October (28/10/2026 to be exact). Since then, she has been an inpatient. My world has stayed within hospital walls, by her side, while life outside continues without us. The ongoing travel costs aren’t really about getting Maya to hospital — they’re about my husband Terry trying to come and see us when he can. Sometimes that’s three or four times a week, sometimes less, simply because train fares are expensive.
So far, there’s no indication that this new fund automatically covers travel when a child is inpatient — when parents are effectively living at the hospital because their child is. That’s a huge gap for families like ours, where the burden isn’t occasional appointments, but long-term hospital life.
It also doesn’t appear to address income loss. There’s still no specific support for parents who have had to stop working entirely because caring for their sick child is not a choice — it’s full-time, relentless, and emotionally consuming. Those issues seem to remain part of wider discussions, but they aren’t directly addressed by this travel fund.
So yes, it’s good that these conversations are finally happening. It matters that families of children with cancer are being acknowledged, even if only partially for now. But there are still significant gaps — and families like ours continue to fall right through them.
I’m grateful that this is being talked about at all. And I’m grateful to those who take the time to notice, to check in, and to care.
Sometimes that kindness carries just as much weight as policy announcements. And sometimes, it’s the thing that keeps you going.
Comments