Having learned that her partner had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, a young mum named Ruth understandably struggled to cope with the implications of her partner’s prognosis, but didn't expect her planned family holiday would be added to her list of concerns.

Attempting to juggle various responsibilities in the aftermath of the devastating news, Ruth contacted her travel agent in an effort to rearrange a family holiday which was due to coincide with her partner’s surgery.

Upon being told that she could postpone her plans until October at a cost of almost €400, Ruth, who was due to travel this Thursday, considered the offer and contacted the travel agent to accept this on the grounds her partner had had a successful surgery.

However, Ruth was aghast to learn that the travel agency no longer wanted to honour their initial offer, telling the mother she was too late.

Opening up about the incident, Ruth told RTÉ’s Liveline: “The day after my husband was diagnosed with cancer, I phoned the holiday company to see what they could do for us. They said they could move the holiday to October for an extra €390.”

Explaining that she was astounded to discover the offer was no longer on the table, Ruth said: “But when I finally got someone this morning after calling for ages, they said it was too late.”

Revealing that the planned trip was the family’s first holiday together, Ruth said the October date gave them ‘something to look forward to’ after her husband’s hospital stay and was understandably shocked to learn that it was unlikely to go ahead, saying: “We’ve been told now – you can either go this Thursday or not at all.”

Explaining the logic behind the decision, the travel agents told Ruth it was too late to book October as all their suppliers had been paid.

Upon hearing that the young mum intended to go public with the travel agent’s decision, she was told: “Go ahead, you still wouldn’t get a refund.”

Ruth, who didn’t push for a refund, asserts that neither her nor her family needed the extra stress at this anxious time, saying: “We’ve been dealing with a lot inside our doors. All this money has gone down the drain because the holiday company wouldn’t be flexible.”

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