**Terminally Ill Mother Faces £5,000 Travel Insurance Bill for Final Family Holiday**
A Nottingham mother who has been given only a year to live has expressed her devastation after being quoted thousands of pounds for travel insurance, potentially dashing her dream of one last family holiday. Denise Greig, 51, was told her breast cancer is now untreatable after it spread to her bones, yet her attempts to create final shared memories with her loved ones are being thwarted by insurmountable insurance costs.
Denise, a business adviser, has longed to travel to Mexico with her family, including her two teenage sons, Luke and Alex, and her husband John. However, after researching travel insurance for a trip to Cancun, she was left in tears when quotes exceeded £5,000—an amount equal to an additional full holiday fare. For Denise, who has been fighting cancer for over ten years, the realisation was both crushing and confounding: “It feels utterly unfair. Making memories shouldn’t cost what amounts to another person’s entire holiday.”
She recounted how her diagnosis journey began in 2014, after doctors initially dismissed concerns, despite a clear family history—her mother died of breast cancer at just 50. Denise endured chemotherapy, a mastectomy and radiotherapy to stay with her sons. A second breast cancer diagnosis struck in 2021, after which even more intensive treatment followed. The revelation in March last year that her cancer had reached her bones marked the point it became terminal—news delivered only after she broke her leg.
Now facing stage 4 cancer, Denise is determined to reach milestones with her sons—their upcoming birthdays and Christmas—while living in the face of uncertainty. “Everything changed in that moment. It truly felt like a death sentence. I want to see my eldest turn 18, my youngest turn 15, and to make some memories at Christmas.” She manages her condition with monthly chemotherapy, keeping her focus on family, having married John just last month.
The anticipated Mexico trip was meant to serve as a ‘family-moon’ for Denise and her loved ones, offering a pause from constant medical appointments. They booked the trip in January, initially budgeting £1,300 for insurance, but are now caught in an impossible situation after prices soared. Denise now fears that their October holiday is out of reach, and she is not alone—rising insurance costs are a widespread issue affecting countless cancer patients.
According to Maggie’s, a UK cancer charity, patients are routinely quoted extortionate insurance premiums, often running into thousands, with some providers refusing cover outright. The charity’s chief executive, Dame Laura Lee, highlights the distress this causes: “People living with cancer already face extraordinary worries, and the burden of sky-high insurance is adding insult to injury. Travel can be an emotional lifeline, and it’s simply wrong that so many are being pushed out of this opportunity.”
Beyond personal hardship, the wider problem raises urgent questions around fairness and accessibility. Denise describes the costs as “exploitative”, noting that “destinations like Mexico are often on people’s bucket lists when time is short. Denying them this chance because of unaffordable insurance feels cruel.” She initially expected to pay £500–£600, but quickly discovered no viable option under four figures, with some policies quoted at more than £5,000—before accounting for essential cancellation cover.
To give her family a fighting chance to travel, Denise set up a fundraising campaign, appealing to the public’s generosity. She hopes donations will help bridge the gap, allowing her to savour time with her sons and husband, rather than miss out due to prohibitive costs. “Insurance is supposed to provide peace of mind,” she said, “not price those most in need out of irreplaceable moments.”
Her situation has struck a chord, shining a light on a system many feel is failing society’s most vulnerable. As Denise’s story resonates nationally, campaigners are calling for insurance reforms to ensure that all families, whatever their circumstances, can access the security and support each traveller deserves. Her voice adds to those demanding change, hopeful that future families will not face the same impossible choices.
Readers wishing to support Denise can contribute via her GoFundMe page, with all proceeds aimed at making her final family holiday possible. Her fight reflects more than one individual struggle—it underscores a critical gap in compassionate policy for people living with life-limiting illnesses.