A woman whose husband died after a valiant battle with cancer only found out she would lose an important bereavement benefit after reading a tweet posted by a famous football star.
In 2017 after a long fight with the disease, Irfon Williams, 46, of Bangor died.
His widow Becky was left to bring up the couples two young sons.
A campaigner until the end, 46-year-old Irfon lobbied the Welsh Government to end the inequality which saw patients living in England benefiting from life-enhancing drug Cetuximab while patients in Wales could not.
After his terminal diagnosis, he had sat down with his wife and they discussed what she would have to do in the future .
She expected to receive a widowed parent’s allowance which consisted of £2,000 up front, plus a payment of up to £470 each month for up to 20 years, based on National Insurance contributions.
But last year this was replaced by the bereavement support payment meaning a one off £3,500 up front payment, but that her monthly payments of £350 would stop after 18 months, Wales Online reports.
The new system applies only to those who have lost a husband, wife or civil partner.
But it was by chance that Becky, who is mum to Siôn, eight, and Ianto, six, discovered she would be affected by the change.
The final goodbye - Hundreds pay respect to cancer campaigner Irfon Williams
It was a tweet from Rio Ferdinand, whose wife Rebecca died from cancer, that alerted the Bangor mum.
“We had already sat down and looked at the finances knowing that Irfon was terminally ill,” she said.
“For us, it was important that I could be around for the boys. I wanted to continue working as a nurse but the money meant I could be a bit more flexible so I could look after both myself, as bereavement is very difficult, but to help support the children”.
Becky said she wanted to return to work.
“Being a nurse is what I trained to do, I enjoy my job and I think it’s about feeling productive as that is good for my mental health.
“It’s about having a better balance in terms of trying to manage my time and being both mum and dad to my young children.”
Some have criticised the 18 month limit as being too short.
“It’s still very early for me. It’s been 10 months but every day is still a challenge and taking each day as it comes.
“It’s very difficult to make big decisions and I’m not in a position to make sound decisions.
“I am very much taking it a day at a time. This is not something that is over in 18 months, it’s very difficult to quantify”.
She said she has spoken out to make others aware.
“This is not a benefit anyone wants to have,” she said.
“My husband contributed to his National Insurance for 30 years expecting that it would support him in his old age.
“Sadly, he isn’t here to draw his pension and the assumption he had was that it would support his family.
“The benefits system is there to support people in this civilised society when they most need help.
“What they’re doing is punishing grieving children, and is that civil?”
Becky says she is “fortunate” that her husband had a private pension too.
She believes that there will be a knock-on impact on children affected by these cuts.
“Parents are going to be under pressure and that’s going to have an effect on the children long term. Bereavement doesn’t go away, you just learn to live alongside it,” Becky said.
A Department of Work and Pensions spokesman said: “The new Bereavement Support Payment restores fairness to the system and focuses support during the 18-month period after a loved one dies, when someone may need it most. It is also easier to claim, tax-free and does not affect entitlement to other benefits, helping those on the lowest incomes the most.”
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