Colleen Turney was divorced and in debt. She was made redundant, had just lost her father, and was diagnosed with rare eye cancer, all within weeks of each other.
“I thought – how will I be able to afford all this financially? The whole system is completely overwhelming and expensive,” she says. “For instance, my prescription eyedrops cost $70 for a tiny bottle. Some tests and ultrasounds weren’t covered by provincial healthcare, and as I could no longer drive, transportation was really expensive.”
Cancer doesn’t just cost people their lives—it can also cost people their life savings.
In 2021, cancer-related costs in Canada were $26.2 billion, with
incurred by patients and their families. On average,
cancer patients pay $253 per month
for out-of-pocket costs related to their cancer diagnosis, with 30 per cent saying they would have to go into debt to pay for these
.
Despite publicly funded healthcare in Ontario and Alberta, families and individuals are struggling to keep up with the hidden cancer-related costs, including drugs and treatments, home medical equipment, home care, nutritional supplements, transportation costs, parking, and childcare.
In addition to increased expenses, a cancer diagnosis can impact a patient’s ability to work, resulting in a loss of income. With 34 per cent of monthly income estimated to be
spent on cancer-related expenses
, this places a devastating financial burden on cancer patients and that doesn’t even consider the financial burden placed on the caregiver. On average, it’s estimated that
26 per cent of caregivers take time off work
to care for a person with cancer, losing an average of $2,402 in income per month.