A cancer support advisor who has helped thousands of people across Huntingdonshire – has spoken of the urgent need to support a Macmillan Coffee Morning as sign-ups remain below average.
Senior Macmillan welfare rights adviser, Bhavani Sarma, opened up about her work during Covid-19 at a coffee morning at Knebworth House with fellow advisors Alison Paterson and Lourdes Longalong.
The trio have been providing vital information, care and support for people who’ve been dealt the blow of a cancer diagnosis during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The official date for Macmillan’s Coffee Morning is next Friday September 24, but people are being encouraged to host one however and whenever suits them.
However, sadly, Macmillan’s Coffee Morning has seen sign-ups drop more than three quarters below average for the second-year running.
According to the charity, this dip could translate into a total income drop of as much as £40million and puts almost 200,000 people with cancer at risk of missing out on care from the charity’s nurses.
Bhavani runs a vital service for people in Central Bedfordshire, Bedford, Peterborough and Huntingdonshire who need expert financial support following a cancer diagnosis.
Bhavani is also the adviser who supported Kimbolton local Sarah Whiteman, who is primary carer to her husband Michael, 40, who is living with incurable brain cancer.
“Our service is very much focussed on the long-term support people need to have financial stability going forward, rather than on the quick fixes we can make today," Bhavani explained.
“That means thinking about how we keep them afloat if they are no longer able to work, or which benefits they’ll be continuously entitled to if say, the side effects of treatment are expected to affect their health indefinitely.
“It is so important that people are aware of the work we do right from the point they are diagnosed, even if they think they’ll never need a hand with money or would never be eligible for any state support."
Sign up to hold a Macmilan Coffee Morning at macmillan.org.uk/coffee. You can also click the ‘events near you’ tab to find coffee mornings nearby.
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