The hidden costs OF HAVING ASICK CHILD

With nothing to protect your income when the hospital visits mount, the stress of having a poorly child can be unimaginable

- FRANCES LEATE

Anyone who has been a working parent will know the sense of dread that often accompanies having to call your boss to tell them  your child is poorly, and while many companies allow a certain amount of parental leave per year, it can still be a huge worry. But when the very worst happens, and your child has a long-term illness, the financial implications can be devastating. There are an estimated 1.7 million children in England struggling with long-term conditions such as asthma, diabetes and epilepsy, and almost 50,000 under 18s in the UK are living with life-limiting and lifethreatening conditions. Plus with no safeguards in place to protect parents’ jobs, and a third of UK adults having no savings, making ends meet can prove almost impossible. Woman investigates.

‘I felt completely overwhelmed’

Christina Harris, 45, from Rayleigh, Essex, is a single mum to her son, 14, and her daughter, Skye, 12. 

When a medical professional sits you down and tells you your child is gravely ill, a lot of things go through your mind. How are you going to break the news to them? How are you going to comfort them and how much pain will they be in? Ultimately, the biggest question is always, will they survive? And as a parent, the very real chance of losing your child is without a doubt one of the worst things you will ever face.