Disability Narratives
Financial Impact
Video clip: Milembe explains how her focus was on getting better after her treatment for cancer, but being off work for a long period of time resulted in a drop in income.
Generally, university is quite generous - very generous - in accommodating or helping during the sickness period. So, for example, you get fully paid for like six months, during that time. And then I can't remember - then you get statutory pay. And I think we got to the point where that everything was so exhausted in terms of that.
It was, definitely - there's no two ways about it - it was a sharp drop off the earnings. And I mean [laugh], it was what it was. The university could do so much, and then I was at home, but I've got my husband that was working when I wasn't. So we did get help. And also I think I did get help from the government from, I don't know, work support allowance of some sort.
So it was okay. It was a definite drop. But you are dealing with so much, that you don't worry about it. It's like, you know, the life-threatening situation becomes [laughing] more priority over your finances at that time.