Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently met a rather fascinating and inspirational woman in my electorate, Ms Leanne Kilmore. Ms Kilmore told me an incredible story of her challenge through the very tough experience of being diagnosed with a very rare form of breast cancer in 2009. She described the day that she was diagnosed as the saddest day of her life. After undergoing an operation to remove a cancerous lump, she was advised that she had to go through the highest dose of chemotherapy. As the dose would guarantee that her hair would fall out, she decided, along with her daughter, Monique, to shave her head. It was an effort to ‘save face’ and to demonstrate also that the cancer would not run her life.

Making matters worse and adding to the emotional strain, over this period she and her husband separated. While this newly single mother of two and her young family were going through this heartbreaking journey, they were faced with some enormous and unexpected challenges. Ms Kilmore visited Liverpool Hospital to commence her chemotherapy and was advised that she would be required to pay substantial amounts of money for the chemotherapy—with each round of chemo costing $300—and for the other medications that go with that. Ms Kilmore was required to take nine other medications. To go with that were the highly unwelcome bills that she had to pick up.

Her stress levels were increased by the reminder bills that were constantly being sent out to make sure that everything was paid promptly. This made her take the extremely tough decision to discontinue her chemotherapy after six treatments. The side effects from more treatments would have required her to leave her paid work. In order to pay the bills and provide for her two children, Ms Kilmore was under pressure to stay in the workforce while undergoing chemotherapy, all of which delayed her recovery. She sought temporary financial relief through her superannuation fund, but was eventually denied access to any moneys on the basis that she was not legally defined as ‘terminal’. I find this most regrettable. I would have thought any cancer prognosis—and, in her case, extreme if left untreated—would certainly mean terminal. All she needed was some financial assistance to allow her to stay at home to rest and recover and attend to her children.

Ms Kilmore now wants to make sure that her experiences are known and to help other people where she can. When one’s health and life are under so much stress and when a family is going through a period of terrible sadness and extreme financial stress, we as a nation and a caring community should contribute in any way possible to make her journey less stressful. (Time expired)