Hythe family shares hidden cost of cancer after teen's diagnosis

The parents of a teenage girl with a rare form of childhood cancer say the hidden costs of caring for their daughter have left them in fear of losing their home.

Maya, 13, from Hythe in Kent, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at three years old, but relapsed in 2023 having been in remission for five years.

Her mother, Dellanie, said the pressure of paying a mortgage and bills whilst she and her husband, Terry, are working less to care for Maya is continuing to take its toll on their family of five.

Dellanie, an NHS nurse, said: "Whilst your child is poorly and you are fighting for her life, the bills don't stop coming."

She added: "My husband has lost his income as he is caring for Maya, and these days you need two people working just to keep your head above water.

"It has been very, very difficult but our aim has always been to to look after our child as well as each other.

"I always put a brave face on - of course I'm hurting, but I can't be in the corner crying."

Maya, who her mother described as a "larger than life person" who loves animals and music, was first diagnosed with neuroblastoma near her adrenal gland when she was three-years-old.

Neuroblastoma is a rare cancer which mainly affects children under five-years-old and around 100 children are diagnosed with it a year in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK.

After initially going into remission, Maya's neuroblastoma returned three years ago, and has since been cared for by specialist teams including at the Royal Marsden hospital in London, and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

In 2025, during a clinical trial of CAR T-cell therapy, a technique currently used to treat some types of leukaemia and lymphoma, Maya developed a brain injury which Dellanie said left her "profoundly disabled".

Her disability meant Terry had to leave his job to care for Maya full time, while Dellanie reduced her working hours to care for her, and support her husband.

Dellanie said: "I just have to be grateful for what we have got.

"At the moment, Maya is a fighter and there is so much fight in her."

Charity Young Lives vs Cancer says families of children with cancer face average extra costs of around £700 a month, and an average loss of income of about £6,000 per household.

Sonia Malik, the charity's associate policy director, said: "We find people are having to dip into savings, and most of these costs are immediate.

"It impacts the whole family and their lives are thrown into chaos.

"The financial stress should be the last thing families have to think about."

Malik said that some support is available for cancer patients and their carers, such as financial support from charities, disability benefits and carer's allowance, but it can take time for families to receive benefits support.

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