Lightening a heavy load

2013 was a year to remember. For Matt* and Kate*, life was full of exciting new beginnings. The couple had just bought their first home, they had a new baby, and to round things off they’d just become proud owners of their very own business, a small courier and freight company. Everything was falling into place beautifully, but trouble was just around the corner.

One day, disaster struck on a routine courier delivery when Matt's driver wrote off the company van. Kate, already overwhelmed with the new business and a new baby at home, found the motor vehicle claim process extremely challenging with the insurer that they had back then.

They say some clouds have silver linings. In some ways it was fortunate that the misfortune with the van occurred because it led them to talk with an insurance adviser who would help change everything. With his recommendations, they purchased business, life, and health cover with their new insurer Partners Life, to help protect them for the future.

Wrong turn

By 2019, they'd increased their business from two to five vehicles, and welcomed their second child. Life was good when the unthinkable happened: Matt had fallen seriously ill. He was just 40 years old.

A visit to the doctor led to a recommendation for a colonoscopy. The diagnosis was frightening. It was cancer. Matt and Kate's world turned upside down. Kate called their insurance adviser who got the claim process underway with Partners Life. They covered the colonoscopy and a whole lot more besides.

To Matt and Kate's astonishment, lump sum payments just kept coming, payment after payment, after payment…

Matt says: “It was a weird old thing because we didn't really realise what we were covered for until things started happening. And then suddenly, this was sorted and that was sorted. So eventually the insurance meant that I could just forget about working altogether and go off and let the doctors have at me, sort of thing.”

Eyes on the road

The first thing Matt's doctor urged him to do was to adopt a positive outlook and remove stress from his life.

“That insurance worked double-fold because it takes away the worries that the business is going to collapse and we can't afford to pay the mortgage off. The insurance is getting rid of that stress and because of that, you're free to have a positive crack at the cancer.”

The couple were able to pay off their mortgage thanks to a lump sum payment from Matt's Debt Protection Cover benefit under his Partners Life Business Protection Plan. The Business Protection Plan also meant they could pay to keep the business going while Matt was too ill to work.

Kate says: “It was absolutely life changing. At the time, Matt had been through his first major surgery and was in a battle for his life. Meanwhile, Partners Life just kept on giving. It was incredible.”

Although the payments couldn't replace the fear and uncertainty of what was to come, they were a lifeline. They meant that Matt and Kate could get rid of the mortgage, cover living costs, keep the business on the road, and allow Matt to step back from work almost immediately.

Changing gear

A couple of part-time staff were keen to take on extra hours while Matt went away for treatment.

“We could afford to pay the staff to carry on keeping on. Otherwise it would all have folded up because there wasn't enough money in the company to not do the work yourself,” says Matt.

The quick timing of the lump sum payments was perfect. Their youngest child was just three years at the time and for Kate, the thought of juggling full-time childcare and running a business was overwhelming.

Without insurance, Kate says: “I would have had to have driven the van full-time, leaving the house at 5.30 in the morning and not returning until 5.30 in the evening. My retired mother would have had to do full time childcare, and the kids were used to having me very present so they would have been nervous wrecks.”

Instead they were able to stay together as a family. This included being able to visit Matt in Christchurch during his six weeks of radiation treatment. Although the children were upset by Dad's absence at home, they were able to visit Orana Park and take time off school so it became more like a fun holiday for them.

“That's another difference the insurance made,” says Kate.

Warning - Long haul ahead

Matt's battle with cancer was brutal. First there was the radiation. Then major surgery to remove a large part of his bowel, followed by a stoma bag, six months of chemotherapy, and then another operation to stitch everything back together. Then, just as the couple were beginning to feel hopeful, the cancer returned. This time, in Matt's liver. This meant yet another major surgery to remove a section of his liver. And then a further six months of gruelling chemotherapy.

“When the doctors were trying to explain the toll that the treatment would take, you don't really take it in. It goes in one ear and out the other and you sort of think that's fine, but you don't really understand. It's not until you've had half your guts chopped out that you realise what you're left with at the other end,” says Matt.

The intense treatment took two years of Matt's life. Throughout it all, Partners Life continued to support them.

Due to the side effects the surgery had on his body it became clear that Matt wouldn't be able to resume his former occupation. He and Kate decided to sell the business, keeping one vehicle for Matt who is able to work just a few hours a week.

Life goes on

Matt has received lump sum payments under his Debt Protection Cover, Trauma Cover, Severe Trauma Cover, and under the Total and Permanent Disability Benefit of his Income Cover and Mortgage Repayment Cover. He has also received Loss of Revenue Cover, a monthly benefit for 12 months (maximum benefit term) under his Business Protection Plan.

Currently, he's receiving ongoing monthly benefits under his Income Cover and Mortgage Repayment Cover, that will pay out until he is 65 years-old. He also has Waiver of Premium and Private Medical Cover.

Matt's cancer is now in remission and the couple have learned to live with the uncertainty, regular check-ups, and background worry. But they appreciate the financial support insurance provides to help them lighten the load and keep moving forward.

“I don't know but I'm pretty sure I'd be a hell of a lot sicker than if I hadn't had it…or if I'd be alive at all. So now the family have to put up with me having to be around for a bit longer!” smiles Matt.

*Names have been changed.

Disclaimer: Claims are assessed on a case-by-case basis and comparable claims may have differing assessment outcomes.