Jason Alcock, 51, of Stoke-on-Trent, suffers from bipolar disorder, autism, and ADHD. The disabled man says that in recent years, to pay his living expenses, he has been compelled to sell the belongings of his deceased wife.
Disabled Man Forced To Sell Dead Wife's Star Wars Collection To Pay For Bills
By
Haider Ali in
Heartbreaking
On 4th July 2022
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A disabled man is being forced to sell his late wife's belongings to make ends meet as inflation takes a toll.
The cost of living crisis that is affecting individuals across the nation, according to Jason Alcock, is making it difficult for him to make ends meet.
The 51-year-old Stoke-on-Trent resident has bipolar disorder, ADHD, and autism, all of which make it very challenging for him to obtain employment.
(Picture: PA)
He must make difficult decisions to pay the bills because the cost of necessities is rising at rates that haven't been seen in the past 40 years.
After being given an acute lymphoblastic leukemia diagnosis, his wife Paola passed away in 2018.
To survive, Jason has turned to selling priceless items she left behind.
He said: ‘I worked out I’ve sold $9k worth of stuff in the last three years to survive.’
(Picture: PA)
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‘Paola had a Star Wars collection, she used to do a lot of crafts. All those kinds of things, her old phones and tablets and everything like that, that’s all been sold.’
‘A lot of the things I would have loved to have saved – they meant something to me – have all been sold.’
‘I’m at the point now that I’ve got nothing else to sell.’
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He called for an overhaul of the benefits system for disabled people, saying: ‘Ever since (Paola died) there hasn’t been a month that’s gone by where I haven’t had to top my money up by selling something in the house. I shouldn’t be doing that.’
Jason is dependent on Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment Support Allowance (ESA), and a severe disability premium because of his medical issues, which prevent him from leaving the house.
He said he should meet the criteria for the $967 worth of support Rishi Sunak announced in May but explained it as a ‘band-aid on a gaping chest wound’.
As households cut back on spending, concerns about the cash crisis pushing the UK into recession continue to grow.
During the current energy crisis, Britain will be struck worse than any other major economy, according to Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, and output is likely to deteriorate earlier and with more intensity than other big economies.