The incredible story of Gemma Ellis

In February 2017, Gemma was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. To fight against it, Gemma underwent six cycles of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. But she was still feeling tired and achy.

After further tests, medical professionals revealed that Gemma had stage 4 breast cancer. They also found that the cancer has spread to an inoperable location of her spine, making it incurable but contained. Gemma is now living her life with cancer and intends to do so for a long time.

How cancer changed Gemma's life

Gemma is an extremely positive and strong-minded mother who is determined to fight for her husband and her two girls, Ruby and Scarlett.

Gemma’s inspiring way of dealing with her illness has been to raise awareness through fundraising and supporting others battling cancer. Since being diagnosed, Gemma has raised an impressive £17,000 for charity, granting her Fundraiser of the Year at the 2017 Buxton Pride Awards.

Despite this, Gemma had to give up her career as a Discharge Coordinator in the NHS due to her suffering from constant tiredness and joint pains. Thankfully, as Gemma worked for the public sector, this granted her the benefit of sick pay and the opportunity to apply for early retirement.

How can a life insurance policy help?

So many employers do not offer sick pay and with an estimated 149.3 million working days lost because of sickness or injury in the UK in 2021, equivalent to 4.6 days per worker.* Many employees are completely unaware that a lot of employers will reduce employee’s wages down to statutory sick pay when an employee has been off sick for longer than two weeks.

Statutory sick pay is remarkably lower than the national average salary, with the current rate standing at just £99.35 a week, up to a maximum of 28 weeks.** Therefore, many employees are likely to face a significant drop in their monthly income if they were unable to work as a result of long-term illness.

Sadly, 1 in 2 people in the UK born after 1960 will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.*** The lump sum you could receive from a critical illness policy can provide a cash injection at a time when you need it most. Along with the peace of mind, the pay-out from a critical illness policy can also help pay for:

• Replacing lost income
• Childcare costs
• Modifications you may need to make to your home
• Costs for carers
• Medical bills
• A nest egg for your loved ones

With our brand new critical illness calculator, you can find out a quick estimate of how much a critical illness policy could cost you in as little as 30 seconds. Click below to try it now!

Stand By Gemma

Stand by Gemma is a fundraising page created to help this inspiring young mum live with cancer.

As well as paying for life-saving treatment, any money donated has helped ease day-to-day life for Gemma. As Gemma was found unfit to drive and doesn’t qualify for help with home-to-school transport, she now has to pay for a taxi to take her girls to school.

Touched by Gemma’s story, the team at Busy Bee and many others have already contributed towards her treatment, raising a total of £11,196.00 so far.

We are wholeheartedly supporting Gemma and are asking if you can too. Click here to donate to Gemma’s GoFundMe.

Stage 4 Deserves More

Additionally, as part of Gemma’s campaign to raise awareness for women with Stage Four Breast Cancer, she founded the support group, ‘Stage 4 Deserves More’.

This wholesome group offers free support packs for women who have been diagnosed with Stage Four Breast Cancer including a variety of helpful tools such as; a booklet with details of helplines and support groups, wigs and headwear, and several other little bits and bobs to brighten someone's day.

If you want to do your bit and help Gemma by getting behind her and the support group, she has set up an Amazon wish list which you can support by clicking here.

Have a similar story to Gemma?

If you are currently experiencing or have been affected by a life-changing event and you want to raise awareness by sharing your story, please contact us at [email protected] or through the Busy Bee Facebook page. We’d love to hear from you!