Esther, in her own words, is one “very, very, very busy lady.”
A 53 year old single mum with four adult children — three of whom live at home with disabilities — Esther faces pressure every single day.
Being diagnosed with breast cancer by her doctor, despite the early diagnosis, was devastating. As a freelance interpreter, Esther worried about how she would manage mortgage payments and keep her family afloat if she had to take time off work.
"I'm thinking, how do I take time off work? How do I support my family? I've got such high-need children and I'm a single parent. My income is vital."
Her bank offered a solution that simply wasn’t viable: “The only option they gave me was, ‘We can pause your mortgage payment while you're having treatment, but when you come back, we have to double your payment.’ And I went, ‘No double payment. That’s not an option.’”
Esther felt immediate relief when her claim on the Trauma Benefit of her ALI Group policy was approved in just six days: “I'm like, oh my God. OK, that's fantastic, I've been so concerned.”
The impact of being paid a lump sum of $231,750 been profound: “We're gonna keep the house running and definitely keep the mortgage payments running.”
It also meant Esther could access an overseas pathology test not available in Australia: “There was a new test that my doctor offered me. It meant my tumour was to be sent to America. But because it's not in Australia, I had a big, large out-of-pocket cost.”
The payout has also allowed Esther to avoid working through chemotherapy, which she expects to last four to six months: “I work casual or freelance, which means I don't have sick leave. I don't have annual leave. I don't have any of those.”
For Esther, protection with ALI Group has been a lifeline. She believes it’s essential that other home buyers consider whether they’re adequately covered for the unexpected: “The reason why I got the insurance was exactly this: if anything happens to me, I need to make sure the kids are well taken care of and I keep the home.”
The current My Protection Plan has been available since 5 April 2021. The above is an example of a customer claim paid on a similar product distributed by Australian Life Insurance Distribution Pty Ltd ABN 31 103 157 811 AFSL 226403 (ALI). ALI provides advice that is general in nature and does not take into consideration your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider these and the information in the Product Disclosure Statement (available along with the target market determination, from www.aligroup.com.au), or speak to a financial adviser, before making a decision about the suitability of the product. © ALI Group 2025