Elizabeth Gould is a mother, now in her forties, who has had a number of careers including working as a lawyer, management consultant, marketing manager and in senior roles in multi-national executive recruitment firms. Having barely recovered from being the victim of a major crime during which she had to defend her two small children, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2004, had a mastectomy in January 2005 at which time she took six weeks off and then worked through Chemotherapy through to August 2006.

There were worrying signs in the remaining breast in 2006 and as a result Elizabeth had another mastectomy. To date, she has had a total of nine operations.

Taking out a number of insurance policies in her early twenties when she was newly single, had just bought her house and with no clouds on her horizon meant that these unforeseen circumstances did not add financial strain to an already emotionally and physically distressing situation. She took out the policies because she wanted to feel financially secure - her friends thought she was mad, but she felt she had made the right decision. Elizabeth’s contingency planning has clearly paid off.

Following her cancer diagnosis, Elizabeth was able to claim on her Total Permanent Disablement policy and also on an Income Protection policy which she has been receiving monthly for the past two and a half years. Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s marriage did not survive the experience of her cancer, but she is now happily remarried and is in remission.