Dr Vladka Vilimkova is a self-employed medical consultant from Dublin. In 2012 she was diagnosed with cancer and has been unable to work since. In this interview, Vladka recounts how this has impacted her life and the importance of having safety nets in place - particularly as a self-employed person.
"As a doctor you think if something serious happens you will feel it, in my case that didn’t apply."
Dr Vilimkova from Castleknock, Co Dublin, managed an extremely busy career as a consultant paediatrician with clinics in Crumlin Children’s Hospital, Mount Carmel and Roselawn Private Clinic in addition to her teaching/examiner post at RCSI. Her days were hectic but she was happy with the variety and responsibility of her workload.
Suddenly, in December 2012, following a standard checkup she received the news that she had breast cancer. With no family history of the disease and good general health, the diagnosis came completely out of the blue.
Her demanding work schedule came to a complete standstill
When her doctor mentioned the term 'cancer' she knew that something would need to be done immediately. A treatment plan was developed and within a few days of the news she had her first surgery. Her demanding work schedule came to a complete standstill.
Dr Vilimkova went on to have four extensive surgeries over the next two years, each one resulting in a recovery time of up to three months. However, it was the consequence of the treatments rather than the cancer itself that had the greatest impact on her future.
Procedures to relocate muscle and ligament tissue were required to balance her spine and aid movement. Unfortunately, this resulted in a major loss of shoulder/arm mobility and significant pain. Driving, swimming, even typing on a keyboard became extremely difficult, requiring ongoing physiotherapy.
Despite these challenges, Dr Vilimkova decided to look at returning to work in some capacity. With her mobility limitations it quickly became obvious that working in a normal setting would not be feasible so she looked to sourcing an additional resource to assist with appointments. Unfortunately there was no capacity for this, ruling out the possibility of managing cases despite her extensive expertise.
A life-changing diagnosis results in a multitude of implications so having a strong support structure in place is highly beneficial. For Dr Vilimkova, the financial implications did not cause additional stress due to the decision she had taken two years prior to arrange income protection cover.
She had looked at a number of providers and was drawn to a non-profit model that invests back into the peer community, rather than a larger PLC generated policy, provided by Omega Financial Management.
Their client support ethos became paramount when the time came to file her claim. "I didn’t need the contract, or to read the fine print, I knew it was all covered," she said.
Following her initial diagnosis, Dr Vilimkova was assured by Omega Financial that it would be totally taken care of and received her letter of approval straight away. This was a "big relief" not only due to the ease of the process; she had just discovered that she would not be entitled to state illness benefits. The Department of Social Protection had informed her that the self-employed are not covered in the same way as employed workers.
‘People assume that when they pay such a high level of tax that they will be covered in the same way as employees, this is not the case’
Dr Vilimkova’s income protection payments provided her with a level of financial independence, which she describes as paramount to her state of mind. For someone who is greatly responsible in their professional and personal life, seeing weekly payments coming into her bank account helping to balance all of the costs going out reduces the stress of a highly challenging situation.
"If you have something serious, you are deeply emotional and prefer to deal with the same people - that’s what they do," she said of Omega. Another key benefit to the insurance provider’s structure is the personal nature of the claims process.
Dr Vilimkova avoided having to divulge the personal details of her case to a variety of people, the process was managed end to end with a designated case manager. Furthermore, when she looked into returning to work, she contacted Omega to let them know her intentions and was assured that no matter the outcome, she would be covered. When a return to work was ruled out, payments continued without question.
With treatments ongoing it is hard to formulate future plans but Dr Vilimkova’s outlook is very positive: "I’m not putting myself under pressure to be like before as it will never be the same again." She is focusing on her family and her new day-to-day life.
Her condition has more or less ruled out the possibility of ever returning to work in her former capacity. It has been confirmed that she will be covered as long as she needs to be, providing her with the time and space needed to recover, reset and plan accordingly.
"As a responsible person, you should be covered," Dr Vilimkova advises her colleagues, young and old, to think about their situation and what would happen if very suddenly, they couldn’t work any more, for the short, medium or long term. "Whether it’s your car, mortgage, supporting your family, practice and employees, we all have responsibilities to others."
Overall, income protection was an essential part of reducing the stress created by the unforeseen situation Dr Vilimkova found herself in. She would recommend it to anyone looking to future proof their personal finances, particularly professionals who have invested heavily in their specialty.
Omega Financial Management is the sole provider of DG Mutual products in Ireland, including Day One Income Protection