Financial pressure 'became overwhelming' for family after child's cancer diagnosis

Mon, 16 Feb, 2026 - 07:42

Niamh Griffin

A mother whose young daughter had brain cancer three times said unexpected financial pressures from childhood cancer can be “overwhelming” on top of the health fears.

Michelle Kelly’s daughter Sophia was first diagnosed with cancer in late 2017, aged just three. It came back after treatment in 2019 and 2020.

“She kept getting sick,” her mother recalled of the first months.

“She would wake up at 4am, saying she had a pain in her head and then she’d get sick. Then it would happen again at 10am every morning. I could nearly set my watch to it.”

Sophia was treated in Ireland and had proton beam therapy in Germany.

“From the moment Sophia was diagnosed, we were thrown into a world of hospitals, surgeries, and constant uncertainty,” she said.

Every parent’s worst nightmare

"Hearing your child has cancer is every parent’s worst nightmare.”

Michelle and her partner stopped working to look after their daughter.

“The financial pressure quickly became overwhelming,” she said.

“At a time when all our energy needed to be focused on our daughter, we were worrying about how we would manage.”

Among the many costs were frequent travel to Dublin from their home in Kildare for treatment.

She described how a connection with the Irish Cancer Society made “an enormous difference”.

The Children’s Fund helped relieve the financial burden.

The fund offers a grant of €3,000 for families like Sophia's.

Even now, after Sophia ‘rang the bell’ to mark the end of her treatment in 2021, she still needs help.

She struggled with anxiety and attended the society’s creative arts therapy service.

“She had a great bond with the art therapist, and I could see a turning point,” her mother said.

“When she went to school after going to therapy, she was a lot less anxious. It was like she was a completely different child."

Today marks International Childhood Cancer Day and Michelle has called on people to think about these vital supports for families.

It gives families strength, stability, and hope when you need it most.

The fundraising helped to cover the cost of transport to and from hospitals last year for children.

It also provided over 75 nights of free nurse support in patients’ homes so children could die at home.

Some 179 families used the Children’s Fund.

Amy Nolan, director of clinical affairs at the Irish Cancer Society, said: “No parent is ever prepared to hear the words, ‘your child has cancer’. In that moment everything changes.”

It places “enormous emotional and financial strain” on families who should only have to focus on helping their child, she said.

She called on people to donate, adding: “You are helping to ensure that no child or family must navigate this journey alone and that hope for better treatments and brighter futures continues to grow.”