IT'S A HARD KNOCK LIFE (Part 3)

Part 3
My Mum and Dad had sold their home/business and moved to a larger city where the accounting opportunities were better. Dad moved onto a salaried job. The home sale brought in approximately $10,000 (a large sum in East Africa).

The finances took the biggest hit due to a medical emergency. My Mum came to visit me in the US (where I was then studying in college) and was diagnosed with breast cancer. She felt a lump in her breast and I took here in for a checkup. The doctor recommended a mastectomy followed by six months of chemotherapy.
24 hours in the hospital: Cost $16,000
6 months of chemotherapy: Cost $35,000

The hospital in the US was kind enough to let me make installment payments with 0% interest. My Dad paid in around $6000 of the costs and I paid off the rest over the course of several years.
My Mum opted to do her chemotherapy in England where we had a bigger family support. The hospitals in the UK were not so accommodating. They demanded payments for therapy up front. This was despite the fact that my Mum still held onto a British Passport. She didn't qualify for the benefits because she hadn't lived in the country.
All told, my Mum is a proud cancer survivor still going strong. The therapy left her weak and scarred emotionally. Nonetheless, she keeps on going strong.

The retirement plans were all thrown off course. The finances took a big hit and it has forced my parents to start back out (almost) from scratch. It's an uphill battle from this point on.