Critical Illness Claim - "My worse fear was recognised - the doctors confirmed that it was the dreaded "C" word"
posted 14th April 2020
Below is a Case Study of Mr M from the West Midlands who was diagnosed with Cancer. The difference the policies made in his life were incredible, giving him, and his family, financial relief and allowed him time to focus on his recovery:
When I took out critical illness and income protection insurance, I didn't envisage that I would ever need to call on them. You never believe that the worst could happen to "you". At the age of 33, mine and my family's life was turned upside down. What was a routine trip to the doctors and subsequently an emergency hospital appointment, ultimately escalated into being told that "I may have cancer". After repeated trips to the hospital (some planned and some emergencies) my worse fear was recognised - the doctors confirmed that it was the dreaded "C" word.
What happened next seems like a whirlwind. Treatment took place over the next 11 months. This included three intense sessions of chemotherapy, numerous scans/tests and ultimately major surgery to remove the remainder of a potentially still active cancerous mass. Thankfully the all clear has now been confirmed.
In times of need, you want people around you that you can trust. For that reason, I am so grateful that I incepted the policies using Vita. Upon informing Vita that I needed to utilise the policies, they immediately took the pressure off me. Paul Reed (Director of Vita) took control of the situation. Paul and his team liaised with the relevant insurers and kept me up to speed with all of the applicable stages of the claim. Additionally, Paul would also ring me to "see how I was" - this was a service above and beyond. Within a matter of weeks, the insurers had paid out a substantial sum of money via critical illness and my income protection policy was authorised to begin. Without the policies, it is fair to say that we would have been in significant financial distress.
Knowing that me and my family were financially secure alleviated significant pressures that we would not have otherwise had the capacity to cope with alongside the nightmare that we were already enduring. It allowed me to concentrate on my health and to focus my mind on battling the obstacles put in my way throughout the journey. I was extremely fortunate to have the support of my employer, but this combined with Vita's support through the darkest of times, helped me reach the end of my journey with minimal stress. I didn't have to focus on completing paperwork or spending ages on the telephone to insurers. Vita did most of this for me.
I have no hesitation in recommending Vita and its staff. From the inception of the policies, through to calling on them, Vita made the process simple, personable and quick. Their staff are caring, compassionate and extremely professional. It is a given that we insure our house and car, but a significant proportion of people forget, or choose not to insure the most important thing; themselves. I speak from experience and I would say to anyone questioning if they should take out critical illness or income protection, whilst I hope you don't need them, if you do, they are worth their weight in gold.
To find out more about the importance of having Critical Illness cover, please click here.
