Being denied access to services because of a previous cancer diagnosis makes cancer feel like “one big punishment that never ends”, a cancer survivor has said.

Should Irish people have their past illnesses, like cancer, ‘forgotten’ when it comes to issues like accessing mortgages, health or travel insurance?

A private members bill introduced recently is aimed at prohibiting discrimination against people who have survived and fought cancer.

On Lunchtime Live, presenter Andrea Gilligan spoke to cancer survivors and those with long term illnesses about this bill.

Two-time cancer survivor Erica said the barriers around health, travel or life insurance and mortgages make the illness feel like a punishment.

“A friend of mine put it like this and I think this is just a great way to sum it all up - having cancer is just one big punishment that never ends,” she said.

“That's what I like about this bill - we deserve to forget that we've had cancer.

“We don't need to be reminded in every walk of life whenever we try to access any of these products.”

Closeup of a young caucasian woman holding a pink ribbon in front of her face for breast cancer awareness. Image: Alamy

Erica has experienced this “discrimination” in many different ways.

“Unfortunately, I have experienced this on many different levels, right through from travel insurance to mortgage applications,” she said.

“If you have a history with cancer, you can just be locked out of so many different financial services and products.

“I go online and I try to get travel insurance, and it asks you, ‘Do you have any of the following illnesses?’ [and] as soon as you select cancer in the drop down menu, your application doesn't proceed.

“So my first cancer diagnosis was in 2019 and every trip I've taken, every flight I've taken since I haven't had travel insurance because I can't get it.”

Mortgage Application. Image: Alamy

Erica said she feels that insurers use cancer as a blanket excuse for everything in your life.

“I could go on holiday and I could slip and break a leg - not everything in my life is going to be related to cancer, but no, it's just a blanket,” she said.

“There are some very niche insurers that might give you cover but… it costs an arm and a leg.”

A person fills out a life insurance policy application. Picture by: Panther Media GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

Erica said she feels “lucky” that she had a mortgage and life insurance ahead of getting her first cancer diagnosis but she feels “tied” to her current life.

“I'm lucky, in a way, that I had my mortgage before but unlucky in a way that I feel really tied to that because my life insurance is tied to my mortgage protection policy,” she said.

“I won't be able to get another mortgage and I won't be able to change my life insurance policy.

“I think cancer as cancer patients, we're dealing with so many things, but we're being locked into this kind of life limbo if you can't access financial services and it makes it really hard to move on in life after cancer.”

A Charity Shop in the high street - Cancer Research. 13/12/2024 Image: Alamy

Erica said with cancer cases on the rise, she doesn’t understand how businesses can continue to deny cancer survivors coverage.

“We have lots of cancer survivors in Ireland now - at last count, there's about a quarter of a million of us and most of us are locked out of these services,” she said.

“So I don't even understand the business sense for a company, and cancer cases are on the rise, so we really do need a whole change of thinking around this.

“I do have some friends that have been able to access mortgage products and stuff like that, but everything gets front loaded.

“If you are lucky enough to even get the service, you might be paying a really high premium or something like that.”

Listen back here:

Caring female doctor comforting young woman patient at meeting. Image: Alamy