Widow with cancer living off food banks after lack of Universal Credit payment

A widowed mum with cancer has been forced to rely on food banks to feed her 13-year-old daughter after being “plunged into poverty”.

Deborah Parsons from Sidmouth says she has learned how “dire” the benefit system is after being too unwell to work and being given a total of £0 in Universal Credit.

The 52-year-old, known as Debs, said she is “afraid to put the heating on” and has been put under “enormous financial pressure” after a breast cancer diagnosis in July this year, following a routine mammogram.

She has had a mastectomy and “invasive” surgery and is having weekly chemotherapy treatments and trips to Honiton Hospital to ensure the cancer has not spread.

Debs has been forced to give up work for her own cleaning business, Maid in Sidmouth, and as she is the only employee, she no longer has a wage coming in.

The mum-of-three has been relying on a £560 payment from a widowed parent’s allowance to pay her mortgage, which she has been receiving since she was pregnant with her 13-year-old daughter, after the death of her husband.

Debs applied for a number of benefits, including Universal Credit and after a five-week wait, she was told that she would not receive any money because of the widowed parent’s allowance and a private pension from Royal Mail, which amounts to £42 a month.

“We’re all just a diagnosis away from disaster” she told DevonLive.

Debs also had to attend the Job Centre which was a 15 minute drive from her home, feeling “extremely unwell” to have an appointment with a work coach.

She said: “I can assure you, if I was well enough to work, I wouldn’t need a work coach.

I just don’t know what I’m going to do. I feel guilty that I’m not working at the moment and that’s wrong.

“I’ve just been so worried with how I’m going to pay for everything.”

She said that she hopes to return to her business when she is able to work, but has lost a lot of her clients as they are unable to wait for her to return to work.

Debs added: “People want a cleaner not an oncology patient.

“It’s not just me I’m fighting for, it’s everyone else like me too. We’re all human and we all come and go the same way.

“It’s tough having the diagnosis then having to fight for the support. Illness is just too easily overlooked as actually we are all just one diagnosis away from being in this hardship.  

“We all think it won’t happen to us. But it can happen to anyone.”

Debs explained that whilst she has stage 1 breast cancer, she has had to have “invasive” surgery to ensure that it had not spread to her lymph nodes.

She said: “This treatment is to make sure no cells have escaped into my body.

“I’m home but attend hospital weekly for chemotherapy and see my oncologist every three weeks usually a different day. 

“I have heart traces every month or so and I see my surgeon every two months. It’s a whirlwind having cancer.”

Debs uploaded a video to her Facebook page before she was told that she would not be entitled to any Universal Credit payment, “to highlight the serious shortfalls of the new universal credit benefit”.

She added: “I’ve always worked very hard and paid my National Insurance contributions but after a breast cancer diagnosis at the end of July I was signed off sick.

“I’ve had surgery and am now in the midst of a chemotherapy/herceptin regime.

“During this time of course I was also coping with my diagnosis, treatment, the tragic, sudden death of my mum and a heartbroken 13 year old daughter.

“I still have no idea how much universal credit I will be entitled to. I will be told on Monday and my first payment will be 5th December.

“Very kind charity donations have helped keep me afloat during these past months and the food bank have kept Beth and I fed.
Surely in a rich, civilised society this shouldn’t be so.”

A DWP spokesman said: “Ms Parsons is not entitled to Universal Credit as she receives over £600 a month in Widowed Parent’s Allowance plus a private pension.

“Like other means tested benefits, Universal Credit takes all income into account when calculating entitlement.

“We are also in the process of dealing with Ms Parsons’ PIP claim and will be in contact once her case has been considered.”