The Randomness of Critical Illnesses

There has been some sad news recently in entertainment world with regards to Critical Illnesses.  Unfortunately, we saw Luke Perry (Riverdale, 90210 actor) suffer and pass away from a Stroke.  Selma Blair made headlines as she opened up about her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. And lastly, Alex Trebec posted a video explaining that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer.

When we’re speaking about Critical Illness Insurance, we often speak to the Randomness of these illnesses happening.  We also like to highlight personal stories or the names of famous people to help give clients a more personal connection and picture around the reality of these things happening.

The one person in this list however that I’m going to focus on here is Selma Blair.  I’ve provided the link to the YouTube video for her interview with Good Morning America below for you to watch.  There’s also a few articles that have been published very recently about Selma’s diagnosis if you Google her – including one in Vanity Fair.

There is a point about half way through this video though where she speaks about telling her son about her diagnosis.  She says that her son’s first question was “Will this kill you?”

Her response, I thought, was quite powerful and validates what we say every day about the need for Critical Illness Insurance.  She said – “This is not the doctor telling me I’m dying.”  She explained to her son that this diagnosis specifically doesn’t mean she’s going to die.  In fact, she later mentioned that the doctors have told her that within 1 year she could have 90% of her abilities back.

While many of us may think ‘it won’t happen to me’… remember that it WILL happen to someone and you should ask yourself what if that someone is you?

I would like to thank Manulife for sharing the above information with me. I thought it was too good not to share this message with others.  Manulife offers a fantastic product suite when it comes to Disability Insurance and Critical Illness.  Feel free to reach out to me to learn more!

So What Exactly is Critical Illness Insurance?

Critical Illness insurance protects you against the difficult financial dilemma that you could face when dealing with serious illnesses, such as cancer, heart attack, or stroke. It provides you with a tax-free, lump sum payment following the diagnosis and survival of a serious illness. This cash payment provides options to help you deal with the cost of facing a life-altering illness, without depleting your savings. You can choose to pay off debts and unexpected medical bills, make necessary home alterations, or travel to a vacation destination for a period of recuperation. The choice is yours.

Depending on the product you choose, you could even have the option to choose a Return of Premium (ROP) option. This means that you will receive back 100% of your invested premium down the road.

Reason’s you may want to consider Critical Illness:

• The wait for medical care may be long and could cause a financial drain if you seek treatment elsewhere.
• The medication/treatment you require could be expensive causing a major reduction to your savings.
• Allows you and/or your spouse take time off work to focus on treatment and recovery.
• May choose to travel or check items off your bucket list prior to treatment.