Transcript
The cost of cancer: Taaha’s Story
[Taaha Ijaz is seated in front of a white backdrop wall in a well-lit room with a green plant to the left as he speaks to the camera.]
Taaha Ijaz: I was 17 years old when I was diagnosed with cancer.
[The Canadian Cancer Society logo appears on screen.]
Words on screen: Taaha Ijaz, Registered Nurse and cancer survivor
Taaha Ijaz: It impacted my life big time. It takes away a lot. My mom came to every single appointment, every single chemo session. My dad made lots of sacrifices as well.
[A picture appears on the screen of Taaha’s father and mother outside seated on a rock together.]
Taaha Ijaz: Five days in a row where we're at the hospital 10 hours a day, that’s 50 hours.
[Taaha is seated speaking to the camera.]
Taaha Ijaz: My parents are, you know, taking time off work.
[A picture of Taaha and his mother appears on screen. Taaha’s arm is wrapped around his mother’s shoulder.]
Taaha Ijaz: And taking time off, attending to my other brothers as well to be with me during my treatment.
[A selfie of Taaha and his father appears on screen during a time when Taaha was in treatment in hospital.]
Taaha Ijaz: Bringing awareness to the hidden costs associated with the cancer diagnosis and treatment is extremely important.
[Taaha is seated speaking to the camera.]
Taaha Ijaz: Fortunately, a lot of the things are covered here in Canada, but there's still a lot that isn’t covered.
[A picture of Taaha appears on the screen from his time in the hospital. He is laying on his hospital bed.]
Taaha Ijaz: The costs add up really quickly.
[A picture of Taaha appears on the screen where he is sitting on a bench in the hospital and his head is shaved. He has a blanket over his shoulders and is resting up against a pillow.]
[Taaha is seated and speaking to camera.]
Taaha Ijaz: Before you know, you've got this long list of bills that have shown up out of nowhere and you haven't been able to go to work and all that because you're making a decision between attending treatment or going to work.
[A list of costs associated with cancer care written on a notebook grid-style paper comes up on the screen and in bullet point form the costs appear in order:
- childcare
- travel costs
- testing
-medication
-side effect management supplies]
[Taaha is seated speaking to the camera]
Taaha Ijaz: Having to make that decision is devastating and heartbreaking. Being able to provide people with that support financially so that they can focus on their treatment, that is a whole new chapter in their life.
[A picture of Taaha in a hospital bed with him sleeping appears. There are tubes attached to Taaha’s right arm.]
Taaha Ijaz: And being able to support them through it so that they can give all their attention to their treatment really is what we can do for each other as humans.
[A picture of Taaha smiling at the camera appears on the screen. Taaha is outside with green lush trees in the background.]
[The screen cuts back to Taaha speaking to the camera with a white backdrop and plant to the left side.]
[The screen turns yellow.]
Words on screen]: Too many people in Canada are paying out-of-pocket to access the cancer care they need.
Words on screen: Join us in calling for change. Visit cancer.ca/costofcancer
[The text fades out and dissolves.]
[The Canadian Cancer Society logo appears on screen.]:
Words on screen: It takes a society
