Life is short. We know that. We've seen bad things happen to good people. We've heard that nearly 1 in 2 of us in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetime.*
But it won't happen to us. We've got time. Haven't we?
Kate is an adventurer and an animal lover. A successful veterinarian, living in the countryside with her husband and three young children. She is living the life she'd not just dreamed of, but worked hard for.
But, when Kate was 30, she was diagnosed with bowel cancer.
She'd put her tiredness down to being a busy working mum. But when other symptoms appeared, she went to her GP, had the tests, and waited for the results.
Cancer. Bowel cancer. Stage 4.
Kate had critical illness cover.
With the news to process, treatment to navigate, and three young children who needed her, a claim was the last thing on her mind. We supported Kate at her own pace - chasing the insurer for updates, and gently reminding her and her family about the additional support available to them.
Once her diagnosis was confirmed by her specialist and the claim assessed, Kate received a £50,000 payout.
The critical illness policy ended there. But she still had life cover in place too - a family legacy secured until her youngest child turns 30.
Kate had her first protection conversation in her twenties, with a financial adviser. She understood why it mattered - she was building a family, a career, a life worth protecting.
The policy she had before Waddle looked good on paper. But what made sense for her in her early twenties wasn't necessarily right for the life she'd be living in her thirties.
Her Protection Adviser, Nathan, identified clear opportunities to improve her existing cover, and built a plan designed around the future she was actually building.
A plan she came to claim on far earlier than she ever thought she'd need to.
Today, Kate is still undergoing treatment, and it's going well.
The money has given her something more valuable than financial support. It's given her time - time to focus on getting better, time with her family, and the freedom to make memories together without the financial pressure of returning to work.
Cancer and other critical illnesses are still far more likely to happen as we get older. Perhaps that's part of the problem.
When we're young, the response is usually the same: it won't happen to me. We tell ourselves we have time. For the most part, we're right - the odds of serious illness or death in our twenties or thirties are genuinely low but not zero.
Cancer Research UK reports that, since the early 1990s, cancer incidence rates have increased across all age groups in the UK, but with the largest increases seen among 25–39-year-olds.**
But protection was never really about likelihood. It's about consequences.
The real risk isn't that something happens. It's what happens financially if it does. For someone in their twenties or thirties, serious illness can land at the exact point when there's a mortgage to pay, children to raise, a career to build, and a future still to fund.
The financial impact can be significant, even when the odds feel small.
Kate didn't think it’d happen to her. At 30, why would she?
But what Kate had done, was plan for the future, prepare for the worst, all while not fully expecting to need it. Thankfully when the unexpected happened, she was protected.
As Kate focuses on her recovery, rebuilding her health and strength, she won't have to worry about rebuilding her finances too.
Real client but name and identifying details changed to protect the privacy of the client.
*Cancer Research UK, Lifetime risk of cancer, 2023.
**Cancer Research UK, Cancer in the UK: Age, July 2026.
At any age, a critical illness can have profound consequences.
If you stand to lose more than your health following a serious diagnosis, find out how Critical Illness Cover could protect the life you’ve worked hard to build.
You don’t know when it might happen. Make sure you’re protected when it does.
Graham came to us for a second opinion on his protection. We uncovered a 17-year-old policy with unbeatable cover - one worth holding onto. Two years later, after a stroke, that legacy policy paid out £75,000 when he needed it most. The right advice. At the right time. For all the right reasons.
The protection that suited you in your twenties may not be right for your thirties.
What worked in your forties may not be suitable in your fifties.
We’ll help you work it out. Keeping your cover up to date and in line with your life is what we do. And if it’s already right, we’ll tell you.
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