The benefit of living in a welfare state...
Today I had the letter I'd been hoping and waiting for, telling me that my application for Employment Support Allowance (ESA) had been accepted and I would be receiving benefit every 2 weeks.
I know that in the current climate of recession and high pries, many people are getting angry about the amount of benefits handed out to people in this country, but for many they are a necessity for any level of independent living, and in my honest appearance the government has wasted a lot more money on non-essentials ( war and complicated paperwork in education spring to mind as two examples...). The truth is there are some fraudulant claimers out there, but they are in the minority, the majority need the money they ask for. putting in claims is not for the faint hearted. You are probed quizzed and treated with suspicion. Especially those on Job Seekers Allowance (JSA). There are many (Daily Mail readers) people who are quick to tell you that people on JSA don't want to work and are happy to sign on, perhaps these people have never ssuffered the humiliation of going to the job centre every fortnight and eing talked down to like a slow three year old, whilst being sent on compulsry courses giving "self-esteem" workshops and lessons in "job search skills" (because unemployed people are all to stupid to use the internet...) the humiliation involved mean some (like myself) actually sign off even if they don't have a job lined up, I was lucky when I did this to have incredibly supportive and understanding parents whokept a roof over my head- most do not have that support. Personally I think if they can put up with the crap forced on them by the job centre without losing it completely, they have an amazing strength of character and ironically would be brilliant in a high pressure work place!
Anyway I digress, as I am not getting JSA, but ESA which basically took over from Incapacity Benefit a year or two ago. My reasons for aapplying are 1) as a cancer sufferer I am entitled to it and was advised to claim by my oncologist, 2) that I am looking at least at not being able to work until June(possibly longer) and 3) Iwould like to keep my savings at a reasonable level.
I am the first to admit I don't have huge out going expenses at the moment, but only as I've moved back in with my parents. This is actually one reason for my claim, as a 33 year old woman, I don't feel right sponging of my retired parents ( for the record, both ex-professionals who paid taxes their entire working lives and have never gone overdrawn, let alone got into debt) Although comfortable, my parents are by no means wealthy, and most of their pensions go into running the house, bills and (NOW) looking after me. - . incase you're under any illusion, I am not being paid a fortune. I will recieve £133 every 2 weeks- amounting to £66.50 a week. Of this £35 will go to my parents (wanted to pay more- they refused!) £50 pounds will go into my savings account, and £48 will be left for me to spend (toiletries clothes etc) Not exactly living the high life, but am grateful to live in a country that supports people when they need help.
Planning the future...
Am going to try and talk about my concept of the future, without gettting too bleak or depressing. I don't know if my feelings are the same as for others with cancer (and I certainly wouldn't presume to speak for them) but for me, the future is a slightly weird concept. Nobody knows how long they will inhabit the Earth, but most can assume it will be a long time. I don't have the luxury of making this assumption , when I forget my resolve to ignore statisticson websites, I find that many brain tumour sufferers are lucky to reach 5 years without recurrence (I made it just over the 5 year line before my own recurrence. So I have this unspoken dilemma, do I happily plan for a long time future, or fce the fact that my life expectancy is probably shorter, and therfore, \i should probably not worry and just do as much as > can before the inevitable happens. The problem being of course that one always reads about "miracle exceptions of people who have cancer twice, then live for 20 years without ever becoming ill again..! I have made some decisions though. I made the decision last time (t the age of 28) not to have children. Many cancer survivors have children, but for me the possibility of one day putting your child through seeeing your illness and then possibly losing you is something I don't want to contmplate. I have no doubt that if I reach 40 without anymore illness, I may regret this decision, but it feels right to me, and given the overcrowding and lack of resources on this planet, I may be helpintg the world by not reproducing!
Another aspect affected is travel, since my first diagnosis 5 years ago, I have been flying round the world like a girl on a mission: I love travel, but I am not sure I will work abroad again as orriginally planned. I'm a little to scared of a relapse whilst away ( it was a cloe call with Taiwan), so think my travels will be reduced to holidays and short breaks- still determined to fit in some more countries thoug
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