// BBC HEALTH NEWS — SALUTE
Terminally ill mum who can't talk, walk or dress herself refused Pip payment
Rachael Field from Rhondda Cynon Taf has cancer of the tongue and been given around three years or less to live
A terminally ill mum who has been given three years to live has been denied disability benefit despite being unable to eat, talk, dress or use the toilet independently.
Rachael Field, 56, from Rhondda Cynon Taf, who has tongue cancer, was first diagnosed six years ago.
She uses a feeding tube, has had her tongue and voice box removed, and had her windpipe reconstructed using chest tissue. Field also has mobility issues.
Earlier this year, she was denied Personal Independence Payment (Pip), to support people with disability-related extra costs.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said it needed further evidence to complete the claim and was sorry for "any distress" to the family.
Field, from Rhondda Cynon Taf, said she has had cancer four times in six years, and now cannot do anything for herself.
"I need help to wash, dress and use the bathroom. I can only walk a few steps with help. I cannot eat or drink, everything has to go through my feeding tube," she added.
The former factory worker was forced to stop working following her terminal diagnosis, and her family has been managing the financial strain.
Field applied for Pip in May, but it was denied as she was awarded zero points across all assessed categories.