Di’s Journey – A Critical Story

In my former life I was a Coronary Care Trained Nurse and a midwife, where I experienced the full impact of what a Critical illness meant to the patient and their family. As a nurse I was able to hold their hand, provide treatment and wipe away their tears, but financially there was nothing I could offer.

When I was young the “Insurance Guy” used to pop around each month to collect Mum’s insurance money and I had decided that when I grew up I wanted to be just like him as he encouraged me and helped me get my own insurance in place just after I started nursing.

This thought had flickered through my mind over the years until one day I received a phone call from an Insurance agent. They were asking me would I like to come in for an interview, as MLC had decided that nurses would make good Insurance advisers due to their bedside nature. I agreed.

I spent the next 9 months toying with the idea until one day when I went to work. This particular day a gentleman with a real husky voice came in to see the ENT Specialist.

Within minutes he was given an initial diagnosis of throat cancer and was given two days to get things in order as he was to be operated on urgently and it was unlikely that he would be able to talk again. I spent the next few hours providing support and rearranging our schedule so that he could receive his treatment. Within six weeks the man’s wife came to me to tell me that they were about to lose everything as they could not pay their bills.

Once again, I could only offer my support and a tissue.

The following week I called the Insurance company and told them I was ready to start.

That was the start of my new career, Financial Planning, and my specialty, Critical Illness Insurance. I believed in this so much as I had seen firsthand the financial loss people sustained when there was a major illness in the family.

After 21yrs as a nurse then 26yrs as a Financial Planner I still hold as strong in my beliefs as I was the day I made the decision to help people protect their family in their time of need.

Over the years I have been rewarded in my belief and I have had the privilege to hand over cheques that I know have helped make a big difference in relieving the angst one goes through when given that diagnosis that will inevitably change your life. In fact, I was so strong that I made sure myself and my family had financial security should an event of this nature occur to me, not really expecting to ever need it.  That event did occur.

Last year I suffered a heart attack and required stents. I was very lucky as I knew the symptoms and sought prompt treatment and received great attention, despite being the obnoxious ex nurse. I was able to hand myself that cheque. That peace of mind knowing that my future goals would not be financially compromised was very reassuring.

The most recent cheque that I am about to hand over is for a 5 year old.

You can never be so sure that you will not be affected, and I cannot urge everyone strongly enough to take a look at your family and decide, is that one purchase of a takeaway or a movie worth more than your family’s security and peace of mind?

Written By Di Ferris 

Disclaimer

Any advice in this publication is of a general nature only and has not been tailored to your personal circumstances. Please seek personal advice prior to acting on this information.

The information in this document reflects our understanding of existing legislation, proposed legislation, rulings etc as at the date of issue. In some cases the information has been provided to us by third parties. While it is believed the information is accurate and reliable, this is not guaranteed in any way.

Opinions constitute our judgement at the time of issue and are subject to change. Neither, the Licensee, nor their employees or directors give any warranty of accuracy, nor accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in this document.

Soundbridge Pty Ltd trading as, Soundbridge Financial Services is a Corporate Authorised Representative of AFTA Pty Ltd ABN 18 624 984 550, an Australian Financial Services Licensee (AFSL 507423), Registered office at 166 Quay Street, Rockhampton QLD 4700.

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