Mark, a 48-year-old self-employed carpenter and builder from the South West, found himself facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His teenage son was due to undergo brain surgery, and Mark needed to take seven weeks away from work to become his son’s full-time carer during recovery.
For someone who is self-employed, time away from work means no income. While the family’s focus should have been entirely on their son’s health, the reality of unpaid bills, mortgage payments and putting food on the table, quickly became an overwhelming source of stress.
Mark shared, “When I reached out for support I was so worried about our son’s upcoming brain surgery and the negative impact that having seven weeks off work to care for him would have on our ability to pay the bills and buy food. I’m self-employed as a carpenter and builder and we were in a position of acute stress.”
Following a full holistic assessment, our team worked with Mark to understand exactly what support the family needed. We arranged food deliveries for the month and provided financial assistance with their mortgage, council tax and utility bills, helping to ease the immediate pressure. Throughout this difficult period, we stayed in regular contact to check whether the family had any additional needs.
With their essential household costs covered, Mark and his family were able to focus on what mattered most – supporting their son through surgery and recovery without the constant worry of mounting debt or missed payments.
Mark added, “Your support meant that our money stresses were greatly eased and that left us with more capacity to concentrate on the most important thing – our son and his brain surgery. We had our key bills paid and food delivered. We were absolutely overjoyed and are so grateful for all of your support. It has been life-changing to receive such a lot of support and all delivered with care and compassion.”
Although finances remain tight while Mark prepares to return to work, his son is recovering well and the family now have enough stability to get through until income starts coming in again.
Mark has explained the impact we made, “Your support was absolutely crucial as it stopped us defaulting on the mortgage and not being able to pay our bills and getting into debt. It took away so much of the money stress. As a result, we were less stressed and in a more resilient, happier place when facing the toughest time of our lives. When we were in the children’s hospital with our son we could totally focus on him and supporting him through his surgery and recovery.”
Mark hopes other families facing difficult circumstances won’t suffer in silence.
“Please do reach out to Lighthouse Charity for support – you do not have to weather the storms of times of crisis alone. They helped us as a family to pick ourselves up from a worrying place. There is no shame in asking for support when life has affected you in a way that is unfair and in which you have no control over. Everybody in a distressing situation deserves help and support.”
Are you in a similar situation to Mark and his family? If you’re struggling and you’re finding life tough, help is here – call our free 24/7 helpline 0345 605 1956 (UK) 1800 939 122 (ROI) or web chat live with one of our advisors at www.lighthousecharity.org
