Carol's story

That diagnosis was both emotionally and financially devastating for Carol. It meant she’d have to undergo surgery – and earn next to nothing while recovering.

Worried about falling into debt, Carol arranged a two-month payment holiday on all her major outgoings and planned to settle up when she was back at work again. But after surgery, she was told her cancer had spread and she’d need several months of chemotherapy as well.

Those months were grueling for Carol, as she battled nausea and fatigue whilst still doing her best to work and make a living. Yet try as she might, she couldn’t earn anywhere near as much as she had been before her illness. And the final straw came with the arrival of coronavirus – when her treatment was delayed and she was told to self-isolate, with no idea when she’d be able to work again.

By this time, Carol’s payment holidays had long since ended and her debts had started to mount up. She was relying on hand-outs from friends and family to pay for everyday essentials – and she knew she needed to seek help

How we helped

When she came to us, Carol had over £20,000 of debt and no disposable income with which to pay it. There was no telling when her treatment would resume and she’d be healthy enough for full-time work again. So we suggested that we contact her creditors and ask them to consider writing off her debts altogether.

With Carol’s help, we drafted up a detailed account of her situation and the impact of coronavirus in order to make a compelling case for writing off her debts. So far, we’ve seen very positive results – with one of her creditors promising to write off over £3,000.

Right now, we’re still awaiting more responses, but are hopeful that more creditors will decide in Carol’s favour. And already, her debts are down to a level that allows her to apply for a Debt Relief Order – which would freeze her debts for a year and then write them off completely if there was no change to her financial situation.

Either this way – or through further writeoffs from creditors – we’re determined to help Carol become debt-free. With our support, she can start to put her financial worries behind her and focus on what matters most – her health, her friends and her family