Helping young cancer patients build financial resilience involves giving them tools to support their immediate needs and build long-term skills for managing finances effectively.
We help them to understand the basics of budgeting, saving and managing expenses. By working with young cancer patients and their families with our financial grant program, we can alleviate immediate costs related to treatment, access to technology and socio-isolation. We can guide them on accessing these resources and others available to them.
The most important resource we can provide is our consistent support and guidance, which will help them manage their current challenges and feel empowered to navigate their financial futures confidently.

The Tom Bowdidge Youth Cancer Foundation was set up after my son Tom died of cancer, aged 19. He knew there were some areas of cancer care missing when it came to his age group. They were a forgotten generation. Read his story here Tom's story 

The Foundation aims to ensure that all teenagers and young adults receive the care and treatment they need in age-appropriate spaces.  Cancer treatment is challenging and isolating. A young person's ability to cope can be affected by the emotional pressures and the mental health impact of diagnosis and months of gruelling treatment. A patient's emotional well-being is paramount in having a good quality of life as depression, anxiety, loneliness, panic attacks and loss of confidence often go with the physical effects of diagnosis and treatment.

When a cancer diagnosis hits a young person and their family, financial hardship often follows as one or both parents have to give up work to care for their child. Our support is given in multiple ways but always to relieve stress, anxiety and pressure felt by the whole family. This help is given as appropriate. Our vision is to provide support to 50 more families across the UK. 

Financial hardship

Financial support is needed to pay travel costs, petrol and car parking. Many families have to travel hundreds of miles, daily or weekly to reach specialist hospitals at a cost of £250 a month or more.  71% of families are struggling to meet the costs of travelling to the hospital.  

Food or travel?

We will also help to put food on the table. With the cost-of-living crisis still affecting so many families, we have many choosing whether they can afford travel costs or to feed the family. This is unacceptable. It is vital that a cancer patient receives healthy, nutritious food to help them heal and this is often the more expensive option. Patient's weight often changes and they have muscle wasting so nutritious food will help them maintain a healthy weight and muscle mass. The immune system is often weakened so having essential nutrients will help fight off infections and complications. It is so wrong to see these young people struggling to fund their food. Food that is vital for their overall well-being, recovery and ability to cope with the challenges of their treatment. 

Housing and homelessness

Cancer can take away your child's health, energy and hope for the future but you don't expect it to take away your home. The need to keep a roof over our young cancer patient's heads has grown dramatically.  1 in 3 families struggle to afford their rent or mortgage costs and general household bills. For many, who are rehoused, they cannot afford to buy furniture like a bed or settee to sit on.  Kitchens have no white goods for them to even cook with. We will fund basics like beds, settees and tables alongside mattresses and other essential equipment. This will give comfort whilst going through treatment.

This is Jade's story

Family life is challenging, exhausting and stressful. Jade tries so hard to manage to care for both children. She cannot work so they have a very low income and are struggling to pay for unplanned and unexpected costs.  

Travelling to and from the hospital is very expensive as they cannot travel on public transport because there is a high risk of infection which could be fatal. Jade does not drive. Each time Sam gets a high temperature he has an emergency admission to the hospital. Each journey costs £50 by taxi. Aside from these emergency visits, Sam must go twice a week for check-ups. When there, there are numerous additional subsistence costs like food for Jade and extra meals for Sam.  

The cost-of-living crisis has caused more problems. Jade is desperately trying to sort out their daily finances when she should be giving her full attention to her children. The heating needs to be on so that Sam is kept safe and warm while undergoing treatment. These costs have increased dramatically. 

Treatment often affects taste, loss of appetite and wanting to eat at different times of the day. This adds to the food bill as Jade must purchase extra food. Sam’s weight has changed so he needs new, comfortable clothes. He also has lots of accidents and this means a need for more bed linen.  

Jade and her family are just one of the hundreds of young cancer patients and their families that The Tom Bowdidge Youth Cancer Foundation continue to support. Sadly, this is a typical story and many families need our help more than ever. This funding would allow us to reach them.

'Thanks to this grant, a portion of my worries have been eased and for that, I cannot thank you enough. In a time when people do not have much to give when they do choose to give, the Tom Bowdidge Foundation has shown me care and compassion for my troubles.'