Making Mexico Memories - Travel Insurance Help

Hi, I’m Denise - mum to two amazing boys, wife to a very patient man, and someone who’s been battling breast cancer on and off for over a decade.

I’ve set up this page to ask for a little help funding travel insurance for what may be my last big adventure - a family holiday to Mexico we’ve nicknamed our “family-moon.” (Because when you’ve already done the hard bits of marriage, chemo, surgery and raising kids, you definitely deserve a joint holiday, right?).

Back in 2014, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. I had a mastectomy, chemo, and radiotherapy. My boys were just 4 and 6 at the time and I was only 40 - young, angry, and frankly terrified. But I got through it, determined to be there for Luke and Alex.

Years later, just when I dared to believe I’d put it behind me, cancer came back - this time in the other breast, right in the middle of the COVID pandemic. It was frightening beyond words. I had to isolate from my the boys while waiting for surgery, which broke my heart. But again, I fought it.

Then in March last year, I had a bad fall. Turns out, the cancer was back and had spread to my bones, including my spine. After emergency spinal surgery and a partial hip replacement (yes, I’m now part cyborg), I was told the cancer was now Stage 4 and incurable. Palliative treatment is now the path I’m on, with chemo every 4 weeks and regular scans to see what the cancer’s up to. (Spoiler alert: so far, it’s staying put. I call that a win!).

It’s a lot to take in, but I’m still here, still smiling (most days) and still determined to live fully for as long as I can. I recently married my wonderful partner John, and instead of a honeymoon, we’ve booked a "family-moon" in October to Cancun, Mexico - a chance to relax, make memories, and have some proper laughs with the boys and close friends whilst I still can.

The snag? Travel insurance - for someone with Stage 4 cancer is wildly expensive. I expected it to be more, but the quotes are as much as the holiday itself for 1 person! The lowest I’ve found is £1,300 - for medical cover only, no frills like cancellation or lost baggage (so fingers crossed we all keep hold of our pants and passports).

So here I am, doing something that doesn’t come easily - asking for help. If you can chip in, even just a little, you’d be helping me breathe easier (metaphorically - I still need the chemo for that) and take this one beautiful, probably final, trip with my family.

Thank you for reading. And thank you, from the bottom of my slightly battle-scarred beating heart, for any help you can give.

With love,

Denise