Hi all,
I am writing on behalf of my mum for some advice. She has just finished 18 sessions of taxol for secondary liver and lymph mets, and we have just booked a holiday to Menorca in September for the 2 of us. This is the second time the liver tumour has returned, with the lymph node being a new growth.
Last year after the first secondary liver occurance, we also went to Menorca, and she managed to get travel insurance due to the fact that the treatment had finished a year previously. Due to this, we booked the holiday at the weekend not giving insurance a second thought until she tried to phone up for quotes this morning, and she was told the cheapest she could get was £2000!!! The holiday only cost £1400 for the two of us! Another quoted £3000 (the same company she went with last year who only charged her £80.
Does anyone else have this problem, and if so what do you do? Are there companies that do insure cancer patients who have just fininshed treatment, or do you not get insurance? This is really making my mum very uptight, and it should be a happy time for her since she has been on chemo since Dec.
Any advice greatfully appreciated!!
Thank you,
Nicola x
Hi Nicola,
I can only think of one company and that is miaonline.co.uk. It would be better if you phoned them, the number is on the web page.
You could try columbusdirect.com but I am not sure if they will insure for secondaries so soon after treatment.
Good luck,
E
Hi Emmbee,
Thanks for your response,
My mum used Miaonline last year and they are refusing to cover her now so close to after traetment finished. Can’t believe you need to pay thousands of pounds for travel cover when suffering from cancer- do they expect people suffering not to go on holiday??
Thanks for the reply,
Nicola
Hi Nicola
I have PMd you with a link for Insure Pink. I think they will give you a reasonable quote, they are always pleasant and helpful, unlike some insurers I have tried in the past who have no clue about BC or the appropriate way to ask sensitive questions about treatment, prognosis, etc.
Cat 
Hi - Def MIA ONLINE for travel in Europe, ive heard outside this it is not so good, but in Europe they are great!
Insure PInk would not touch me - secondaries bone and lungs, mid chemo, travel to france for a week.
Sadie Xx Xx
Thanks Cat, I will tell my mum to call tomorrow- my poor wee mum is so stressed tonight with it all- think its especially hard to get insured with secondaries.
Thank you so much for your reply.x
Hi Sadie,
My mum got insured from Miaonline last year- she phoned today and they won’t insure her as she has just finished treatment.
Can’t think of who else- will try insure pink as mentioned by Cat- otherwise I am stuck!!
thanks for thr reply tho.
Nicola x
Insure Pink are good. I am on going chemo with mets, had my week in France. They we’re sensitive with the questions, well worth a try.
Hi Nicola,
I have secondaries in lung but not on chemo, I went to Majorca in June for 10 days and insurance was £55 with ‘Insurancewith’. I am on hormone therapy and I also have thyroid problem. I thought they were very good I filled everything in on line will definitely use them again. Certainly worth a try. Do hope you get it sorted soon.
Marina x
Hi Nicola
There is a long thread in the Secondaries part of the forum about this - we all seem to suffer with the same problem - high quotes for travel insurance! Try searching, it’s on the 1st page, or copy and paste this link (for some reason I can’t add it to here so it links directly)
breastcancercare.org.uk/forum/travel-insurance-t27531.html.
Personally, since being dx with secondaries 3 years ago, I’ve used Insurepink who have given me the best quotes for a couple of holidays I have been on since my chemo finished.
Good Luck
Nicky
Hi Nicola,
I have widespread liver mets and have just finished 18 weeks of chemo. I want to travel to a number of cities with my son who is performing there. I have decided not to take out insurance it was such a mine field and was causing me too much stress so am sticking to EU countries with good reputations for health care and have updated my card to access emenrgency treatment. I discussed this with my GP who seemed comfortable with my plan -she in fact mentioned Spain as offering good care and treatment.
I have been to Sweden and France so far and back home safely
Hope this helps
Have a lovely holiday
Jane x
Hi Nicola,
Are you having any luck with the insurance? Do let us know.
E
Hi all,
Thank you so much for your caring replies…I tried insure pink online only as my mum is a bit down in the dumps tonight about it all and it states that it is unable to insure her and that I have to phone up. I don’t think she has the strength to phone up again, as the few companies she has phoned treat her like she is on her deathbed. I’m thinking she takes the risk of not having insurance- its only a week to Menorca, and its not worth all the hassle. She can get insurance for her baggage only. What do you think?
Thanks again everyone
Nicola x
Hi
I tried a number of companies recently for a trip to the states and it was all so expensive! I have general travel insurence that exludes BC so use that for all other issues and figure if anything cancer arises it’s cheaper to pay for a flight home!
Iswhiz
Hi Nicola,
Did you try columbusdirect.com? I got cover with them as soon as I finished Rads and chemo. Do not have secondaries though and I know this makes a difference. I think that you should be able to get better cover than just luggage which may even be covered on your mums household insurance.
Have you got EHIC cards? They cover you for treatment in Spanish state hospitals. Your problem will be if your mum is taken ill and needs air ambulance to get home.
My friend had breast cancer many years ago and we went to Tenerife just 2 weeks after her op with no cover for the breast cancer but for everything else.
I know I told you about columbus before but you did not say if you had tried them. Sorry if I am repeating myself.
E
Hi both,
I tried columbus direct with no success…they won’t insure her as this is the second time the liver mets have came back (they were first diagnosed in 2009), so I think she will just go with the general insurance, E111 card and if need be, get a flight back to the UK as that would be much cheaper!
Thanks for taking the time to reply
Nicola x