The Cost of Prostate Cancer

Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths in Australia. Not only that, Australian families can have financial difficulties getting treatment and care they require. There are a large number of factors that need to be considered, where each individual situation will vary with cost. For instance, for an someone who lives nearby the hospital, or has family support that can assist with transportation costs to a nearby hospital, the cost of cancer can be very minimum.

This is compared to Australians living in rural or remote locations where the access to treatment, particularly for cancer can be hours away. Regular travels means higher costs for treatment.

One person spoke of their loved one’s experience of receiving treatment for prostate cancer.

“One of my colleagues had a male patient who was having radiotherapy for prostate cancer. After his [government] travel scheme benefit, it was still costing him $60 a night. Sixty dollars a night for six weeks: that’s a fair whack out of your income, because you’re not working.” – The Australian ‘Holes in medical safety nets let financial pain.

Although 60 dollars for most Australians is not a big stretch, that amount is multiplied by the number of days, weeks or even months of treatment an individual can receive.

Take also into consideration that during this time, an individual will also lose their working income as they are no longer able to work due to side effects, treatment times and rest required to remove prostate cancer.

This means, for someone who has limited savings in their bank account, a difficult up hill battle ahead of them. It can even be more difficult for families who have children, single parents or even individuals with little to no support networks around them. Surviving and getting the best medical treatment possible can be very difficult.

How Can Fundraising Help A Loved One I Know With Prostate Cancer?

Often the topic of prostate cancer along is already difficult to talk about. However if you know someone who has prostate cancer and could be assisted with further funds to help them through the process, then you can create a fundraising page to help. With consent, it is an easy and proactive way to help someone you know at their time of need.

Fundraising can help cover for any costs that are involved. This can be for the cost of time, commuting to the hospital for treatment, accommodation cost and even to cover bills in the household during this time. The idea of fundraising is to help someone who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer to be able to focus their time and energy on their recovery and well-being, rather than stressing about the financial burden that can impact the family.