Dad with cancer £4,500 in debt after work accidentally paid him

Dad with cancer £4,500 in debt after work accidentally paid him Jack was told he was paid too much and would have to give it back A man has been left in £4,500 worth of debt after his work mistakenly continued to pay him after his cancer diagnosis. Jack Parker's battle with cancer has taken a huge emotional toll on him – and now it has been compounded by financial strain. The 32-year-old owes his former employers £4,500 after they continued to pay him while he was going through chemotherapy. The ex-account manager says his work mistakenly continued to pay him. “It is awful,” said Jack, from Plymouth. “Especially as at this time, I do not even know if I have beat cancer. I have young children and go to bed each night praying that I am not going to leave them and on top of that now, I have financial stress to worry about.” Jack received his diagnosis on December 12, after two months of excruciating pain – which he worked through. He was diagnosed with Gastric B Cell Non Hodgkin Lymphoma after dealing with a stomach ulcer. His company allowed him to work from home when driving became too painful. Jack said: “My manager seemed understanding and told me to take a week to work from home while I wait for further tests and news. “Especially as driving was very painful for me at the time. This turned into me working from home throughout December while undergoing more scans and continued pain from my stomach ulcer. I worked from home still until around December 17. At the time, I didn't know or understand what the company's policy was on sick pay. I was only six months into the job and it was never explained to me during the period I was off. “To be honest, money was the last thing on my mind.” Throughout January, February and March, Jack was paid by his company before receiving stautory sick pay in April. The change came without any warning and he called his boss. Jack said: “He informed me that I was supposed to be on that during my time off but unfortunately there had been a mistake and HR did not know that I was off sick. He also informed me that I would have to pay it back on a payment plan but we could discuss this during my first day back to work. “He also said it should have been over £6,000 but senior managers had reduced it to £4,500. It was not a discussion about affordability, more him just telling me what I owe.” After returning part time to the company, working three days a week, Jack was placed back on probation. The added pressure from his work load, finances and his recovery left him extremely stressed and led to him eventually quitting his job entirely. With no form of employment, two young children and an intense chemotherapy schedule, paying off the debt is extremely difficult for him. Jack said: “I don't think people realise the amount of physical and emotional stress that comes with chemotherapy and how hard it is to return to work in the first place after a life-changing illness. “This, coupled with financial stress, can really be quite crippling. I would love to raise awareness for other people. I am not looking for compensation, I just wanted the debt cleared and the freedom to talk about my own experience with cancer."