Bianca Buitrago-Poulin is celebrating her successful massage studio’s one-year anniversary on Montreal’s South Shore this month.
But it hasn’t been easy.
It’s a business she started out of necessity — a last-ditch effort to save her family home, continue caring for her mother and stay financially viable while battling a debilitating condition that derailed her life and career.
The 34-year-old was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia two years ago, but her illness had been affecting her long before that. After more than a decade of working in geriatric care, symptoms like fatigue, dizziness and muscle pain were making it hard to hold down a job.
But she pushed on. Together with her boyfriend, they took out a loan to repair the historic home her grandfather bought decades ago on Gardenville Street in Longueuil, Que. Built in 1900, it needed a lot of work.
Then her relationship ended.
While dealing with heartbreak, she soon after received even worse news — cancer.
“When chemo started, it just got even worse,” said Buitrago-Poulin, recalling her depleted immune system, sudden food allergies, hair loss and hypersensitivity to light. She still has fainting spells, weakness, anemia and dietary restrictions.
Even if Canadian public health-care systems cover care and treatment, the Canadian Cancer Society says cancer can cost patients tens of thousands of dollars in expenses and lost income. For younger patients, qualifying for aid can be difficult.
She could no longer work with seniors, but her sick-leave coverage ran out after six months. She wanted to be deemed partially disabled, but because she may eventually recover, her claim was rejected.
“The chemo treatments are a minimum of three years,” said Buitrago-Poulin, but it could last much longer.
“I might have to be on chemo all of my life. I cannot go under the sun. I am going to have more and more problems related to being on chemo for such a long time.”
She raised a few thousand dollars through an online campaign, but it wasn’t nearly enough. And with her ex only able to pay his half of the loan in the short term, she needed a long-term solution so she could keep her home and continue caring for her mother.
Young cancer patients face financial struggles
That’s when she realized she could stay in caregiving — something she is passionate about — and do it from home by opening a massage studio. Renting space to colleagues would allow her to work fewer hours in a low-light, low-stress environment.
So she got training, and Crystal Lotus Massage was born.
“Everybody was supporting me through the classes,” she said, and now her business is thriving after only a year.
But she still questions why it wasn’t easier to get disability coverage. When she catches something as minor as a cold, she gets extremely ill. So she stays home, trying to minimize her exposure. She still gets tired easily, sleeping twice as much as most adults her age.
“It’s very scary, this way of life. I wish I had a safety net. I don’t,” Buitrago-Poulin said.
And she’s not alone.
Cancer is disruptive at any age, but that disruption can be more severe for young people, said Tanya Narang, executive director of the VOBOC Foundation — a Montreal-based non-profit organization that offers assistance to teens and young adults with cancer.
She said young adults are often not financially stable. They often don’t have insurance and can’t work because of the illness, treatment side effects and all their medical appointments, she said.
“We’ve had many calls from people asking us for help because they can’t pay their rent. They can’t buy groceries,” said Narang.
Some patients will even skip medical appointments so they can work instead, she said. Her organization provides some relief in the form of a care package and helps direct patients to other services.
The ‘financial toxicity’ of cancer
According to a March 2024 report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, up to 40 per cent of patients in Canada report financial distress following a cancer diagnosis, including worrying about mortgage payments, draining their savings and returning to work before they’re physically ready.
In a Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee report last year, it says the physical, emotional and economic impacts of cancer are profound. In Canada, people with cancer often pay more out-of-pocket costs than those in similar countries, and many report money problems, known as “financial toxicity,” the report says.
This issue is going to worsen as the population gets larger and continues to age, the report says.
Katleen Exley, a social worker with Cedars CanSupport at the McGill University Health Centre, said patients should voice concerns about finances to their oncology team, but that’s not always easy.
“In the beginning, it’s more about the diagnosis and shock and providing counselling there,” said Exley.
“Usually our assessment encompasses a whole-person approach in terms of looking at different aspects of their lives and where they are struggling. For my chemo patients, the two biggest things are transport and finances.”
Help is out there for those in need
Patients can look to government programs, social assistance, charities and long-term disability depending on their illness and the length of their treatment, she said. Exley will help patients manage their budgets, be it consolidating bills or taking advantage of their home insurance.
Cedars manager Virginia Lee said her organization launched the Jackie Aziz Adolescent and Young Adult Program to help address the unique challenges cancer patients aged 18 to 39 face while being treated at the MUHC.
It was spearheaded by the parents of a young woman who died of cancer. There’s a group of health-care professionals, including social workers, who help young people face all the challenges that come with treatment.
But the MUHC isn’t the only place offering help. Exley said every oncology centre in Quebec generally has somebody on the team who can offer guidance, though it may not always be a social worker.
“If they need help, they should speak to their treating team,” she said.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health and Social Services said it is aware that financial difficulties can be a problem for some people with cancer and that it is important that they be able to concentrate on their recovery.
“When a cancer diagnosis is made, the patient receives a lot of information, including the various resources available to support them through this ordeal,” said spokesperson Marie-Christine Patry in an email.
“In particular, some community organizations can offer additional financial assistance in certain specific situations.”
Beyond that, Patry said, there are federal and provincial programs to help.
