However, there is another aspect that most people don’t consider when thinking about a good financial plan… what about a backup if you are unable to work due to illness or injury? This unfortunately, happened to my fav little brother (well, my only little brother), Mitch. Here is his story; “It was June 28th, 2017 and I found myself in a spot of bother, I was violently ill with food poisoning after eating some (not so fresh) sashimi from the fish markets. Well, at least I thought that was where I’d landed myself… but this turned out to be far from the truth. Long story short, my gallbladder had ruptured, leaking bile throughout my organs and it is fair to say I was later admitted to hospital for emergency laparotomy surgery. This was the start of quite a lengthy recovery period of 6 weeks which meant I was off of work from my normal occupation as a physiotherapist for this time. To add to this already stressful situation, I had recently moved overseas to New Zealand, with no family and no sick leave. I was in quite the situation but there is one thing I am unspeakably thankful, the fact that my brother and Director of Pursue Wealth, Josh Wingrove had recommended that I look after myself with income protection about a year prior.
The peace of mind that I was able to have and the capacity to focus all of my energy on the recovery process, rather than stressing about where I can scrounge out enough money for food and rent, was absolutely invaluable.
Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to have the help from friends, family and Pursue Wealth to get back to doing what I love most, helping other people get back to doing what they love most (though my physiotherapy work). I have no doubt in my mind that had I been under financial stress throughout this ordeal, I would not have been able to achieve what I did in the time frame I did. Here I am above 3 months after surgery, going for my first surf again and with my newly appointed scar from my chest to my belly.“ Unfortunately, this is one of many stories about the unexpected happening. This highlights the importance of having the right personal protection in place to ensure that when times get tough you have the capacity to focus on the things that really matter, like getting better! My little bro has a long road to being fully recovered but it is nice to know that he can prioritise his health and getting back out on the board and doing the things he loves.
Thanks for sharing your story Mitch, much love.
